Grumpy old Biker

Sick and tired.

2012-02-13T16:32:00.000-06:00

With the mild, more like non-winter that we are having in Wisconsin this year I thought that I might get through the year without getting to sick. But as all good things go I was wrong. Started feeling bad on Wednesday, went a head and do the Crono trainer ride. By the end is knew that I was headed for a ruff bout of the CRUD! A bad cold, Flu what ever you want to call it, I got "IT". Went ahead and went to work on Thursday, needed to, or that was what I kept telling myself. Made it till about 3:00 and called it a day. Came home, went right to bed and slept. I think if I just would stayed home the whole day I would have recovered a whole lot faster. But didn't, been almost a week, feel a lot better but still not 100%. And to top it off I'll be traveling the next two weekends. This weekend to Minneapolis and next weekend to Tucson. At least next weekend I'll be going to a warm place. Get to ride some Cervelo's and hopefully get to see the new P5. I guess we shell see.

Dreaming!

2012-01-29T22:12:00.000-06:00

Looking at options for Cyclesport Travel in 2012. I think would be a cool ride, but maybe to long of a day at the end of our trip.

<p>&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/66652030"&amp;gt;Arreau, back side of Tourmalet, Payolle&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Arreau"&amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Arreau&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;</p>

A morning in the snow.

2012-01-15T12:23:00.001-06:00

I was told to get the kids outside and burn off some energy. I tried my best, we will see as the day goes. I may need to chase them around the block, ten or twenty times.

Cyclesport Travel information meeting

2012-01-13T10:45:00.000-06:00

Cyclesport Travel/Cronometro

Cycling Vacation information night.

Have you ever thought about a cycling vacation in France, how about Italy? Thursday, January 19th is your chance to stop in and check out the great trips

Cyclesport Travel is offering for 2012.

The Pyrenees Playground Trip June 25th to July 7th
This trip include an opportunity to participate in the Ariegeiose Cyclosportive and ride virtually all the important Pyrenees climbs.
Castles, cave paintings, the Tourmalet, Plateau de Beille, Ancizan, Col dAspin, Col d Agnes, the Corniche and the Mamar are all
on the menu for this incredible experience.

This years L'Ariegeoise Cyclosportive will finish atop Plateau de Beille in the L'Ariegeoise 161km and La Mountagnole 117km events.

Tour de France trip July 9th to July 17th
Experience the TDF like the French villages do! We will let the Tour come to us in the our mountain village and ride up the Port de Lers to watch the pros!
Ride every day and come back to your cabin or head down to the local bar to watch the Tour excitement.

You will have the chance to ride the 18 percent grade on the last climb of stage 14 before the tour attacks it.

Italy, Gran Fondo Prosecco and Chianti October 1st -10th
Ride through two beautiful wine producing regions and celebrate by rolling through the Prosecco vineyards during the Gran Fondo on Oct 7th.
LINK TO GRAN FONDO PROSECCO

We will have wine and cheese snacks and lots of pictures of past trips.
Time: 6:00-8:00

We hope to see you then.
Colin, Dave, Mark and Scott

Cyclesport Travel is now able to take credit cards! Just our way of trying to make your trip more convenient.

Another warm January day.

2012-01-10T08:01:00.001-06:00

Looks like the high today will bw near 50 degrees. But I will be working, no chance to get out and enjoy the nice weather. Can't complain to much. We have had a great Fall and start to Winter. Less then 5" of snow so far, and its one more day closer to Spring!

Oil reaches Louisiana shores - The Big Picture - Boston.com

2010-05-24T21:35:00.000-05:00

Oil reaches Louisiana shores - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Big Surprise!

2010-01-02T12:16:00.002-06:00

With everything going on I haven't updated this site as much as I want to. So I have decided to "NOT" post here for a while and try to update two other blog's.

Dualthreat.net

Cronometro blog

With a little luck I will be able to keep up on these two better then I have kept up on this one.

Peace and Grease!
Grumpy!

New things on the horizon.

2009-11-19T22:05:00.001-06:00

More information to come.

http://www.cyclesporttravel.com

New roads.

2009-08-12T22:44:00.005-05:00

Found some new roads today. Rolling hills for 40 miles.
No wind and 80 degrees, doesn't get any better then that.

New Wheels for the bike.

Things don't always go right.

2009-04-08T21:50:00.002-05:00

So the plan today was.... 55 miles. I did a stunning 10 1/2. Not what I had in mind.
Lets just say sometimes your not meant to ride your bike. For me today was that day.

The kids are on spring break. Three kids, instead of one at home with Mommy. So yes she needs a little break of her own. I get the green light to go for the ride, I just need to take the kids out sometime so she can have a little alone time. No problem, I'll take the shopping and after the ride we can go to the park or something. Ethan is sigh up for "T" ball and we can go that.

The kids and I get the shopping done. Lots of "can we get this" or "can we get that". Were done soon enough. Get home put everything away, get them feed. Time to go for a ride.

Today was a nice day 54 degrees, with a north west wind around 10 mph.
The route was a north west route so I'd ride into the wind and have a tail wind to get home.
That is if I made it that far. Which as you can guess I didn't. UCK!!!

So here comes the good part. Leave the house just get out of town and going down a hill that you can hit 40 mph coasting. But I not going to coast, I'm going to pedal. That's when it happens.
The crank locks up will not turn, WTF! Not wanting to break something I stop. Yea if you have a problem with your bike and it won't pedal STOP!
Look over the bike, chain is locked up somewhere, but whats the problem. I take out the rear wheel and then I see it. The cassette lock ring is coming loose locking up the rear wheel.
I do what I can to get it back on with out to much luck. "Hand tight" is all I can do. Nurse it back to the house. Made it back without any problems. But I was taking it very easy.

Once home I cashed it in, Went to the park with the kid's. Not a complete loss. I was daddy this afternoon.

Tomorrows ride

2009-04-07T22:58:00.000-05:00

55 mile NW loop
Find more Bike Rides in Janesville, Wisconsin

Madison make a little news in NYC.

2009-03-26T22:55:00.001-05:00

Bike Snob NYC.

Read the comments they are great!

Thanks for the love!

50/50

2009-03-18T21:06:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was 70 degrees and 2o mile per hour winds gust to 30. Today the high was around 55 with very little wind. A little cooler but today was my day off.

Got the honey do's done as fast as possible and got ready to ride. What little wind we had was out of the north west, so ride north. I know most of the roads north. I take about 8 different routes to work so I thought it would be kind of nice to loop them together.

Head out along the river, with all the nice weather the Rock River is high! With all the flooding from last year the road is completely repaved. Smooth as glass!
No hills to speak of a few rollers and wooded roads.

Another great ride in Wisconsin and another great ride on the new bike.
When it was over I had got in 50 miles in a little over 3 hours. Not bad for a fat boy.

Till next time.....Peace and Grease.

Cold and wet.

2009-03-08T22:43:00.004-05:00

Went for a little spin on Saturday. 39 degrees, raining the whole time. Took out the old bike, didn't want to trash the Ottrott yet. Sometime light other times heavy but always rain. 2 hours in the cold and wet. Stayed warm while I was riding, but once I got into town starred getting cold. Not working hard enough to stay warm. The last 5 miles or so were a chore but made it home. But still it was nice to get out and ride.

It was the first time I had the chance to use the Garmin and power tap together. The Garmin picked up the signal very quick, and showed the changes just as quick. I was told that that the Garmin did not respond as fast as the Power tap head. Could have fooled me.

Garmin Connect has updated there website. It has a player that lets you look at your ride and data.

With a little luck yesterday and today's weather will not stay around for long and I can get in some more miles. I'm so glad that time has changed. Now if the weather will just straighten out.

Peace and Grease.

Grumpy.

First ride.

2009-03-05T20:50:00.001-06:00

I've had my new Serotta for a little over a month. The weather has been anything but good riding weather. Snow, ice and cold, I've gotten in a few rides on my old bike. But I just could not chance taking out the Serotta.

Last night just as I was getting ready to leave work the phone rang. Its was the man himself Ben Serotta! We had a short talk I told him I had Wednesday off and was planing to take the new Ottrott out. "Have a good ride, I'm sure you will enjoy it" It was like being blessed by the Pope. (if I were Catholic). So I should have known I was going to have a great ride.

So the day was here.
Day off, Check.
40 degrees, Check.
Roads dry, Check.
New Serotta Ottrott W/Campagnolo Super Record 11 in the garage, Double Check.

I had to alter my original route due to wind. Wind in Wisconsin is rare, but I didn't care. The plan was to get in 40 miles. The wind was out of the south, so I will ride south. I don't ride south much. I live in Janesville and work in Madison, that's north. So it would be some new roads.

As I started the ride I wanted to go in with an open mind. I have ridden a Cervelo R3 for the last 2 years. And that's an unbelievable ride. Smooth over the road and stiff in the bottom bracket. I also had Sram red on the R3, thought it was the best thing out there last year. Now it was time to compare.

There is a reason its called "Super Record" it is! The first thing I noticed was the feel of the ergo levers. That was what I noticed when I took it for a test ride it last October. They fit my hand better then any other shift/brake lever set I have ever tried, very comfortable.

Heading out of town is ran through the gears front and rear. Fast and smooth, front shifting flawless quick throw from the 34 to the 50 no issues at all. The rear shifts before you finish the thought. I was so busy running through the gears I forgot that I had a Ottrott under me.

So yes its a smooth ride! The roads are not the bad, but it is March in Wisconsin so the road is broken up and ruff.
Not only is it a smooth ride is super stable. Think where you want to be and your there. I rode through broken up pavement next to the edge with no problems. The R3 was a little twitchy on super ruff sections. I cannot explained it. Its the experience of ridding a bike that moves with you, knowing where you want to be and your there. It is by far the best first impression I have ever gotten from a bike.

Going up hill, very quick response. Stand up to climb, and no front derailleur rub. A very firm bottom bracket. For the smoothness of the ride very impressive.
Going down the other side, again very stable. I think I could have let go of the handle bar and the bike would not have veered an inch. But I didn't.
Like I said it was a little windy so I rode in the drops a lot. The shift/brake levers were easy to reach both up and down shifting. Everything right where it needed to be.

Weaving through the roads of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois I kind of got lost in the ride. watching the garmin seeing where this road would take me and how it would wind back to where I need to be. Once again I remembered how much fun bike riding can be. I just got lost in riding my bike! And that is something that you can't explain. So I will stop trying.

When I rolled into the driveway I had ridden 41.77 miles. The last half or so I had a tail wind, that's always good. My toes were cold, my legs were sore. But I got no problem with that. The cold toes meant I didn't ware my winter boots. And the sore legs meant I had a good ride.

3 Feet Please!

2009-02-24T21:22:00.002-06:00

Wisconsin has this law! They support us. Please help them, click the link buy a Jersey.

New ride for 2009!

2009-02-08T22:26:00.013-06:00

"It's also a passion thing. You can know it but unless you live it, ride it bleed it, speak it, it is more challenging to get people to get excited about it." (Todd Schmidt QBP)

A short cold ride.

2009-02-01T15:14:00.003-06:00

First ride of the year, short but cold.

Still a lot of snow here, only the second day above freezing this year.

This is what a 5 year old boy did to his Dad.

2009-01-14T22:48:00.004-06:00

Be careful what you promise your kids! They might hold you to it!

A little ahead of the game?

2008-12-19T22:16:00.003-06:00

It's 10:15 P.M. Friday night and the weather lady just tell's us that we have received 10.3 Inches of snow in the last 24 hours. We are at 31" for the month that is compared to 25.1 (a record) last year.
I don't like snow! In face I hate snow. Yet I live in the upper Midwest! What is wrong with me?

Oh ya we are going to get another 3 to 5" Saturday night :~(

Google gadget what?

2008-12-05T19:59:00.002-06:00

Is it just me or is google getting a little personal?

And so it begins!

2008-11-30T09:39:00.001-06:00

Not a big fan of the weather man right now!

Snow will develop later this morning and early afternoon... and
continue through tonight... becoming heavy at times. Snow
accumulations of 6 to 10 inches are expected by Monday morning.

In addition... north to northeast winds will strengthen to 20 to
30 mph... gusting at times to 35 mph. This will lead to areas of
blowing and drifting snow.

Potters Pasture!

2008-11-13T20:55:00.005-06:00

So I was surfing the web the other day, I see that the FFL
have a post for the Paxton peleton, I think hey, I use to
ride around there, lets take a look.
Its a nice blog, I can see the power plant in the background
of some of the pictures. I wonder if I know this guy?
Lets check out his profile.
To small of a picture lets check out his other stuff.

WTF Potter's Pasture MTB blog are you kidding me?
I gota see this! And there it was Potter's Pasture.

Now for those of you who don't know and for the
others who don't care. I was there at the start.
P. Stephen Potter the man the myth the Legend!
Is the owner and name sake of Potter's Pasture.

This is some of the best off road riding in Nebraska
if not the BEST! And its free.
(as long as you don't add up the cost of gas to get there)!

Exit 99 off I 80 south to Brady Moorefield road,
turn right follow till the pavement ends. Its been awhile
but I think its about 1 mile past the end of the pavement
and the entrance is a gate on the left. Look down the valley
and you will see a rustic camp ground. Unload your bike and
start riding. The map above and the cow path's guide the way.

The last time I was there Potter had more land and had added
twice as many trails that were there in 97.

With all the good memory's that Potters pasture blog brought up
I started looking for pictures that I know that I have.
So far I only have found a few. But I will keep looking. I did find a
Video tape that the local TV station did on the Pasture. If I can
transfer that to digital I'll get it posted.

The new news is The Big Wheeled Ballyhoo for 2009.
Looks like a lot of fun. Check the link from time to time and see
how thing progress.

Till next time.

Peace and Grease..

Grump.

Give me a break!

2008-11-06T20:38:00.002-06:00

The election is over and Obama won! You gotta love it!

Now on to other issues. I went shopping last night, walk in the door @ Wally World. Christmas music? Are you kidding me its not even Thanksgiving yet and these ass hats are playing Christmas music. I thought I would go nuts the whole time I was getting groceries! Monday and Tuesday it was 70 degrees, the check out lady said they started playing it on Saturday the 1st. Give me a break... her comment was "they are trying to get people to spend money because of the economy.
Like we don't have enough to do we need to make sure Wally World hit their 4th quarter profits!!

So here is my suggestion DON'T BUY ANYTHING FROM WAL-MART!

There are other stores that are doing this I'll leave that up to whoever reads this.

But for me I'm done with them.

2008 vote is in the books!

2008-11-04T22:24:00.001-06:00

My friend Aaron in Omaha, Rode to place his vote!

Yes I did!

2008-10-30T12:15:00.000-05:00

You're Fired!

2008-10-30T10:13:00.003-05:00

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Tour de Trainer

2008-10-19T22:14:00.001-05:00

With the announcement of the 2009 Le tour de France next week I thought it would be fun to incorporate that into my mundane trainer training.

For me to set and on a trainer for more that about 5 seconds is a major accomplishment. So in a attempt to add a little excitement to an other wise boring task I came up with "Tour de Trainer"

What is this you may ask? Simple! Every week you will ride a stage of the 2009 Le tour de France.

21ish stages with a prologue (or not) and 2 rest days. When the route is announced on Wednesday then we will have the total mileage.

The idea is,

Ride one stage a week 21 stages, 21 weeks. Divide them up however you want. If the weather is suitable for riding outside DO IT! We are not keeping score.

If you miss a day, you can make it up somewhere during the week or not, again we are not keeping score.

The point of this is at the start of nice weather you will have a head start on next years riding.

For those who do not need any encouragement, good for you. For the rest of us... Its a thought!

Peace and grease.

Grump

Went for a litle ride today!

2008-10-05T13:51:00.004-05:00

Took a spin on Cervelo's new S3.

Wow what a rush

Bug eater and Weather.

2008-07-02T20:07:00.004-05:00

I rode home Tuesday night. Beautiful night not a lot of wind but a lot of Bugs!! Every time I opened my mouth to get a drink or take a deep breath I got a mouth full of bugs!
I thought Nebraskans were the bug-eaters not people from Wisconsin.
Maybe I brought that with me. I don't know!

Coming home from shopping today, raining so hard I couldn't see!

Just what we need more rain! I know some where in Kansas they would kill for a little rain.
Sorry we have had enough!! You can have it! It is my gift to you!!

Rain and more Rain!!

2008-06-08T09:49:00.002-05:00

The big RED line. Yesterday Madison received another Record!

"... Record daily maximum rainfall set at Madison...

A record rainfall of 2.23 inches was set at Madison yesterday.
This breaks the old record of 2.01 set in 1993."

So I guess we got another one in the books!

Most Snow fall in a season. (New Record 100+ inches)

Most Rain in a Month (last August 23+ inches)

And 24 hour rain fall!!

Good for us?? Makes it hell to ride X(

Riding in the water & wind

2008-04-16T14:10:00.003-05:00

The ice is melting and the river is rising.

The water had been over the road here. Down the road it was still over the road.
Houses in this area had sandbags all the way around.

And yes the ride. 25-30 MPH wind. But it was a nice ride.

"B" roads in Wisconsin ya just gotta love'em

Getting in some riding

2008-03-18T23:03:00.003-05:00

Went for a little spin on Sunday with some of the guy from work.

Still a lot of snow.

And some crazy guy on a single speed.

A good day for a ride.

Still a little cold.

But a good time!

We got in 31 miles took it easy on the hills. I guess I had to, not very many miles with the winter that we have had. 92 inches of snow for the season with a little more to come. The weather man said we have gone 10 days without any snow, and thats the longest between snows storms this season.
With a little luck I'll get out and ride some more tomorrow. Day off and all.

Peace and Grease.

Do The Test

2008-03-13T21:19:00.003-05:00

Do The Test

Google Maps 'Bike There' Feature

2008-03-08T22:04:00.004-06:00

Check it out sigh or not. I think it's a cool feature for Google to have.

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/bikether/

Grump

Sick...

2008-03-02T21:20:00.003-06:00

We get a day that for the first time in a long time that I can go for a ride and I'm sick. Well I've been sick for that last week. I got the flu last Friday bad. Missed work Saturday and Monday. And have been fight it off and on. Today we get nice weather, highs in the upper 40's and I don't have the energy to do much more then walk up the stairs.

With a little luck I'll get better by next week. Time changes and that means time to start riding!
Looking forward to a little longer days and time to ride.

I hope the next post will have pictures I took while in a ride.

Till next time......

Peace and grease.

Have I said that I'm tired of this snow?

2008-02-20T17:37:00.003-06:00

If this snow stuff doesn't leave soon I think I might go nuts!! 80 plus inches. And still more to come. The record amount of snow fall was 73.6" the average snow amount is around 40" we have to much snow and I'm tired of it. I want to go for a ride and not freeze my ass off! I want to walk Rachel to school in the mornings and not need to ware a face mask. I want to ride my bike to work and not drive on black ice for 50 miles. I want to wear shorts. I want warm weather!!!!

I want! I want! I want!!!

Man I'm selfish!!

Sheldon Brown R.I.P.

2008-02-04T22:44:00.001-06:00

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/

Now I'm sad!

I met Sheldon at Frostbike 3 or 4 years ago. Funny I think he was the most popular person there. Turbo and I talked with Sheldon and we shook his hand.
The cycling community will miss him! :-(

GEORGE CARLIN'S NEW RULES FOR 2008

2008-02-01T21:47:00.000-06:00

GEORGE CARLIN'S NEW RULES FOR 2008

New Rule: No more gift registries. You know, it used to be just for weddings. Now it's for babies and new homes and graduations from rehab. Picking out the stuff "you" want and having other people buy it for you isn't gift giving, it's the white people version of looting.

New Rule: Stop giving me that pop-up ad for classmates.com ! There's a reason you don't talk to people for 25 years. Because you don't particularly like them! Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days --- mowing my lawn.

New Rule: Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy's chili Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Lobster?

New Rule: Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here's how much men care about your eyebrows: Do you have two of them? Good, we're done.

New Rule:There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but, without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That's your flavored water.

New Rule: Stop screwing with old people. Target is introducing a redesigned pill bottle that's square, with a bigger label. And the top is now the bottom. And by the time grandpa figures out how to open it, he will be in the morgue. Congratulations, Target, you just solved the Social Security crisis.

New Rule: The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a 'decaf grandee, half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n'-Low, and One NutraSweet,' ooooh, you're mixed-up.

New Rule: I'm not the cashier! By the time I look up from sliding my card, entering My PIN! number , pressing 'Enter,' verifying the amount, deciding, no, I don't want Cash back, and pressing 'Enter' again, the kid who is supposed to be ringing me up is standing there eating my Almond Joy.

New Rule: Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you Spiritual. It's right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to 'beef with broccoli.' The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just high.

New Rule: Competitive eating isn't a sport. It's one of the seven deadly sins. ESPN Recently televised the U.S. Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too exciting. What's next, competitive farting? Oh wait, they're already doing that. It's called 'The Howard Stern Show.'

New Rule: I don't need a bigger mega M&Ms. If I'm extra hungry for M&Ms, I'll go nuts and eat two.

New Rule: If you're going to insist on making movies based on crappy old television shows, then you have to give everyone in the Cineplex a remote so we can see what's playing on the other screens. Let's remember the reason something was a television show in the first place is that the idea wasn't good enough to be a movie.

New Rule: When I ask how old your toddler is, I don't need to hear '27 months.' 'He's two' will do just fine. He's not a cheese. And I didn't really care in the first place.

New Rule: If you ever hope to be a credible adult and want a job that pays better than Minimum wage, then for God's sake don't pierce or tattoo every available piece of flesh. If so, then plan your future around saying, 'Do you want fries with that?'

Spring will come early!!

2008-01-30T08:56:00.000-06:00

The old ground hog may see his shadow but we refuse to believe him. Friday, February 22nd, 2008. Join the party! The Cronometro Spring Classic.

The party starts at 6:00 PM and will go till 9:00 PM (or later). Stop in to just say Hi, or spend the evening chatting, it’s up to you.
There will be free food, drinks and prizes.

We will be showcasing a few of the bikes that Cronometro has designed over past years. Some are big, some are small. Some are carbon, some are ti. Road and tri. All of them are great examples of fine custom bikes.(The list is too long to go into detail and the store is to small to show them all.)

Some of our bike industry friends are coming from all around the country to join us.

Jon Sison from Shimano

Brett Kane from Cervelo

Dave Powers from Serotta

Mattison Crowe from Seven

Ed Nasjleti from SRAM

John Lindstrom from QBP(Quality Bicycle Products)

Ted Schweitzer from Reynolds

Mark Van Gemert from Zipp

Wyatt Jirsa from Saris(PowerTap)

Brad Menna from Ochsner(Campy/Assos)

Ryan Hall from Veltec(Sidi/Enervit)

They’ll all be here. And…They’re bringing some really cool things of their own! We hope you and your friends can make it too!

This is the first event of its kind for Cronometro, Please join us for the 1st Cronometro spring classic.

For updates check http://www.cronometro.com/springclassic.html

See you on the road!

Scott

scott@cronometro.com

Cronometro Spring Classic!

2008-01-22T22:31:00.001-06:00

Any Questions?
More information to follow.

It's not new anymore!

2008-01-16T22:24:00.000-06:00

I took the new Red for a spin today! Weather wasn't to bad 40ish with some wind. Not a lot of wet so I decided to ride Red.

It worked great, the front seamed to shift faster the force. The rear worked great! The new levers felt easer to get to. I haven't adjusted the reach on either lever. They just felt closer. Who knows.

Lots of salt on the roads and the tires were covered. All in all I road my bike 18 miles beats setting on the couch. B-)

Now we get to deal with sub freezing temps for the next week. Sundays high, a balmy 4 degrees.

A little wet today

2008-01-06T19:36:00.000-06:00

What can I say I'll take 55 degrees any day. Yes it was a lot wet, with all the December snow that we received. Over 30" total and about half of that was still on the ground as of Friday morning. On Wednesday and Thursday the high was in teens. And Friday the morning low was below zero. So to get 55 plus degrees on Sunday, Wow what a rush!!
I took the Moots out for the wet ride. I guess you know your a bike snob
when your bad weather bike is better then most other peoples race bike. I don't feel to bad it is over 10 years old. Poor me right!
Anyway back to the ride.
My route today was flat to rolling hills with 2 short but steep hills. The first short clime is a little over half way into the ride. Not to long about 200 yards with a 8% grade.
The second clime is about 8 miles from the end and is only about 100 yards long but has 12% grade.
My last ride was November 3rd. so it's been a while. Had some wind today as well, 17 mph with 25 mph gust out of the south not to bad most of the ride was in trees and not exposed to the wind. Man all I can say is "what a great day for a ride"! I don't think I can remember a January day when it was this nice.
I didn't get any pictures of the ride, but I did take some of the bike when I got home.
I hope the weather was above average where ever your are and you all got a chance to get in a good ride.
Grumpy

Another Year down

2008-01-02T22:18:00.000-06:00

2007 another tick mark on the seat-post!

A short recap.

Full winter in Wisconsin= Not as bad as I thought.
One year down at the new job= Beats working for a living!
Commute to work Longer then an hour. (if you didn't know 45 miles)=see #2 also 2100 miles
Light weight commuter bike=miles of fun=also see #2
Having a stay at home Wife=its a family blog enough said B-)
Finding cool places to ride=Dude I can't begin to list them all!
Capn Cowbell & our old neighbors stopping by for a visit=Damn I miss my Omaha FRIENDS!
My parents 50th wedding anniversary=Damn that a long time!

So all in all I'd say its been a good year!

And lets hope that 2007 was good to each and everyone. And 2008 will be even better!
Peace and Grease!
Grumpy

Snow and More Snow!

2007-12-29T14:34:00.002-06:00

The drive home on Friday was a little slick.

The big question was. What is dumber! Driving in a snow storm?

Or taking pictures of driving in a snow storm?

Do we really need to answer that?

This picture is looking out our back patio window.

And this is a dream come true! The proper use of snow!

It's Done!

2007-12-29T14:20:00.000-06:00

Well I got everything switched over to Red! Looks nice and weights 14lbs.

This is what I'll be riding for 2008. The wheels will hopefully change.

Yup Compact, I'm old!

And these wheels are just to piss people off. If I get the chance to ride them I'll be lucky

New Toys!

2007-12-12T00:18:00.001-06:00

Red rear der

Red Crank

Red Shifters

Red Cassette

Red Front Der.

I'll let you know how the build goes.

Hurt!!!

2007-10-30T22:58:00.000-05:00

I stole this from a way cool blog
Check it out

Saris Gala/Fund raiser

2007-10-21T10:55:00.000-05:00

Thursday night the gang from Sairs had there Wisconsin Bicycle Fed fundraiser.
Lots of good Beer and a little bit of food!
I got to meet Phil Liggett for about the 5th time. (the last 4 were at inter-bike)
Hang out and listen to story's, mostly about Bob Roll!
Anyway they raised over $64,000.00 at last count and still counting.
A good time was had by all.
Phil's Suitcase full of courage went for a cool $10K

Kick Ass ride

2007-09-10T22:55:00.001-05:00

I got the chance to ride around New Glarus the last 2 Sundays.
Man was it SWEET!

100 miles HOORAY!

2007-08-26T14:04:00.001-05:00

Got in the first 100 miler for the year! To be honest it's the first Bennie that I done in over 5 year's. I've done five 90 plus day's but it's not the same. Had to add an extra mile before I got home just to get in 100. It was all good.

I think I might work with one of these guys. But I didn't stop to ask. Kinda odd place to take a nap? Bed pussy!

Just a little fog left about 10 miles into the morning commute.

Met up with Colin (the boss) and John (the Florida guy) about half way up to Madison. It was nice to ride with some people for a change.
We have gotten over 17" of rain this month. Thunder storms make it hard to ride as much as I would like. But I think the down pours have stopped for a while.
We'll see!

Words ending in "uck"

2007-08-22T13:47:00.000-05:00

The week started off OK and turn bad shortly. The first part of the week went according to plan. Drove to work on Monday there and back. Drove up to Madison Tues. A.M. rode home Tues. P.M.
So far so good. Wed Rain all day didn't get any Honey do's done.
Thurs A.M. get up a 5:25 look outside and what do I see fog! uck! I wait till 6:15 and the fog has lifted enough to start to work. Running a little late, still enough time to get to Madison and be on time for work. No wind and about 60'ish. So off to work I go, I get less then 3 miles from the house and the sound you hate to hear. POP ssssss! uck I found a piece of glass or metal I didn't go back and look.
Just a little note I'm running Dura-ace 7801 SL tubeless wheels with Hutchinson tubeless tires.
The shimano rep in Wisconsin told me that I could ride the tires flat. I tried it and guess want YOU CAN'T!
Now back to our story. I do carry 2 extra tubes just in case I also have a dollar bill for a tire boot.
Get the tube put in and aired up. Now its a good sized cut in the tire 3/4" long and as I look at the tire I see that I have cords showing through. So back home I go. I have a new tire at home.
Ride back the 2. something miles change the tire air it up and look at the clock. 7:20 uck!
Now with all the bad luck that I have had the worse is yet to come. I have to wake up my wife and tell her that we have to load up the kids and take me to Madison to work.
Now that goes better then I expected, "sure honey" is her response. Sweet dodged a bullet there. Work goes fine missed a ride in not a problem. The shop has a century ride planed for Sunday. The Wife and Kids are going out of town for the weekend I can ride the century and not need to get a kitchen pass.
Once again things do not go as planed. Rain all day Saturday, no ride. I'm staying in Madison to get an early start with the guys from the shop. Andrew one of the guys from the shop is in a band so we go listen to him, in the rain on Saturday night. Good band "Brown Derby" there a County band and sound good.
We leave the bar at around 11:30 head back to Mike's house for some sleep. And yes it's still raining. Weather.com says the rain should let up around 8:00am so all should be good, Right?
Mike and Andrew just bought the house the end of July and are still discovering thing about it.
Like the Basement leaks! That sucks I know ours did to! So you guessed it we get back to his house and the Basement has water in it. We move stuff off the wet part to the dry shop vac the water up and then off to the couch for some sleep.
6:45 my cell rings, "Dude it doesn't look good!" are the first words I hear. UCK! The rain did not stop it stalled over Madison. Thunderstorms all day! Double uck!
Now do we wait for this to pass over or just through in the towel? Yup I through in the towel!
Loaded up my bike and crap and headed home.
Maybe next week will be better? I guess time will tell.

Memory Lane 1991

2007-07-23T00:17:00.001-05:00

One of the best races in Nebraska Pete's Century! That was before I new a Metric century was 62 miles!

State Games Road Race.

Bobke, I Got it!!

Headed for the land of OZ!

2007-07-15T15:41:00.000-05:00

Had a good week, didn't get in as many miles as I had hoped (167). I won't get in any bike miles this week but a lot of windshield time about 1500 give or take. My parents 50th is on the 27th and we are headed down to Kansas for a little get-together. The kids get to pick on Grammy and Granddad for a couple of days, then its back to the land of cheese.
I have a new plan to get in some more miles in. We will see if they come through.
A 300 mile week is in the works. I guess time will tell.

The first week's down

2007-07-08T17:00:00.000-05:00

Well I got my first week of commuting over with! Saturday morning had to be the toughest ride.
I road home Friday night, got home at about 9:15 p.m.. Eat drank lots of water and went to bed. I was on the road Saturday morning at 5:45 a.m. I think it took me 25 miles to get the tired rode out. And then I think that it was only because I was over half way to work that I knew I couldn't turn around, so I just kept riding! About the 30 mile mark I hooked up with some tri-ladies and rode with them till I got on the bike path in Madison. They showed me another route so I could avoid a 3 mile stretch of busy highway. And I think took a little bit of the route. Not much but when your tired every little bit helps! Plus I got to see some new roads.
Total miles for the week 189 miles :-)
We'll see what next weeks brings, it would be nice to get in 200. I guess time will tell.

Not the sharpest knife in the drawer

2007-07-04T21:23:00.000-05:00

So I get the chance to drive to work and ride home, SWEET! As soon as 6:00 comes we lock the doors and get changed into my riding gear, and I'm off like a prom dress. (note to self if it looks like rain its going to rain)
A little windy 10-12 mph, whitecaps on the lake as I ride past. Walkers and runners on the bike path, normal path congestion. I get passed after I slow down for on coming riders. No big deal I have 47 miles ahead and now isn't the time to get an ego.
We both get held up at a stoplight and I start up a conversation, he wants to get in at least 40 and hopes he can make it before it starts to rain. He ask how far I'm going, I tell him Janesville.
"Dude your going to get wet, and be in the dark" Ya it will be close.
We ride and talk for about 7 or 8 miles when its time for me to get off the trail, I'm looking for any short cut that I can find, This road heads south and the trail heads west, South is good, right?
Oops one big ass lake and a dead end after about 5 miles NOT GOOD!!
Back track to find a road that heads west Dam it (another note to self, if you don't know where the road goes don't take it).
OK so the short cut isn't a short cut, I take another chance and this time it pays off. Back on the commute route home. And did I say that it looked like rain? Over cast and windy. If not, now I have. I think the wrong turn was just about a wash and didn't loose time or add mileage to the ride. Anyway moving forward.
I think I'm making good time, with the head wind, its not going to bad. Left turn, right turn, up hill, down hill. Why is it when your on a road that has no shoulder you meet cars just as you are getting passed by one? You can go for miles and not be passed or meet a car but when you see the car in front you know that one is coming from behind.
So far the ride is going fairly smooth I'm eating and drinking, head down riding hard. I'm over half way home and I feel good. Cooksville about 20 miles to go.
So this is the part of the story where things start to go not so good. I've had my rear light flashing for the whole ride. As I stop to get my headlight out I find out that in my hurry to leave I forgot to grab it! Double Damn!! And yes its dark, windy and starting to RAIN!
Now remember the 2nd note to self? "If you don't know where the road goes DON'T TAKE IT"
Screw that I need to get home and the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. RIGHT? And its not like I don't know where the road goes "the wife" drove it and I kind of think I know that it goes through! So forget note #2. Besides I'm a guy and I know these things!
To add to the fun (lets see we have wind, rain and darkness) now we have lighting!
Triple Damn! Nothing to bad, just a little to let me know it was there, you know off in the distance, for now. So now I'm think get home as fast as possible straight line here I come.
Now the problem with this is that the road that it connects to is a major highway, the up side is that there is a "bike lane" on the highway the down side is ITS A F*&$ING HIGHWAY!
To bad I need to get home. Head down, Head wind and Head strong. (also see brain-dead)
So as I head down the road the lighting becomes a little more frequent, still off in the distance.
I guess I had about 6 or 7 miles of dark riding (no moon or stars). Then I see the cars crossing in front of me, yup it's the highway.
Now the rain is coming down a little harder, not to bad I'm not wearing glasses and I can still see. Traffic isn't to bad, happy for the bike lane and the flashing red tail light. And things look up a little the head wind has turned into a cross tailwind. 20 mph sweet. I think I was about 1 mile into this 7-8 mile leg on the highway when the brightest and loudest clap of thunder hit. I don't know how close it was but the flash and the bang were close to the same time. So I'm thinking to close for me. With no where to go and no place to hide Head down and ride harder. Nothing will get the blood going like a good scare. I haven't looked at my computer yet but I'm sure I was maxed on the heart rate for about 30 min. Didn't drink didn't look back just road as fast as I could till I could get off the highway.
Now once I'm off the highway I still have about 6 miles to get to the house. It's not to bad low area my thought are low area less chance of getting hit by lighting. So when I hit the county road I'm feeling good. I see cars coming from behind I pull over and let then go by, no need to take a chance. One mile till I'm in Janesville and as luck would have it a car comes up behind me just as another is meeting me. No place to pull off so I just hope they slow down and wait to pass. Sure enough they do, only after the oncoming car goes by they pull up beside me. ?$@& now I have to deal with some Drunk redneck, telling me I don't belong on the road and blah blah.....
But know nice people asking me if I want a ride "its very dark out and your hard to see would you like a ride?" "No thanks, I'm almost home".
10 min. later I'm home, wet, tired and hungry. Less the 3 hours to go a little over 47 miles.
Cant wait to do it again.
Only next time I'll be sure to take my light's
Peace and Grease!
Grump

I did it!

2007-06-10T23:21:00.000-05:00

Well its in the History books now! I rode to work, and then rode home. Funny thing is last week the same route was 51 miles plus. This weeks ride was only 47 plus miles. So I didn't get in 100! Only 96! And NO I didn't ride an extra 4. I was toasted and needed to get my tired ass home!
But what a beautifully day! Had a little tail wind on the way up, not much about 4-6 MPH.
And on the way home about the same in a cross headwind. Till the last 10 miles or so and then none at all. When I got into town there were Hot Air balloons flying and they were just hanging in the air above the highway not moving. A pretty cool site!
Sorry no pictures and I cant seam to copy the data to prove that I did it You will just have to trust me!

Another Saturday, Another ride to work!

2007-06-05T20:59:00.000-05:00

Well I guess I'm getting in better shape or the ride to Madison is getting shorter.
Saturday I road to work again, and over halfway back. A total of 77 miles! Not bad for a fat boy!
Its easy to say now that is over but I'm sure that I could have made it home. I'm going to find out this Saturday, riding to work and back home. Should be about 104 miles give or take.
I'll keep you posted.

Over 25 of the 52 miles on the way to work were in the rain,

Swiss stop carbon brake pads work very well in the wet!

But the ride home was sunny and dry. You gota love the land of Cheese!
Peace and Grease!

My last ride!

2007-04-23T21:47:00.000-05:00

A cool little graph of my ride on Friday. Red is heart rate and green is Elevation.
Kind of go together.

The First Ride

2007-03-24T23:02:00.000-05:00

I got the chance to get out on Friday and put some miles on the new bike. What a sweet ride. The SRAM Force worked better then I thought. It took a little getting use to.
But not much! The roads up here are all paved but that doesn't mean that they are smooth. In fact the roads that I were on were broken up with a lot of seams and cracks.
The Cervelo and or the Tubeless tires soaked them up. And climbing(not that I'm a great climber) what little power that I had went to the wheels.
Swissstop brake pads? I don't think there are any better on the market. First time I hit the front brake I thought I was going to fly over the bar.
Anyway I got in about 2 hours and Had a blast! Here's to more rides and less work!
Peace and Grease

The New Bike

2007-03-21T22:41:00.000-05:00

I got my new frame in Yesterday, started getting it together today. Should finish it tomorrow. What a MUTT I am representing all the major food groups. Campagnolo, SRAM and Shimano. With a little love left over for Zero Gravity, Swissstop and Hutchinson.
Here are some pictures. When its all said and done I'll give you the numbers.

16 Years and counting

2007-03-05T21:30:00.000-06:00

Well as of today I've been in the Bike Business for 16 years!
I start at Cycle Sport Bicycle shop in North Platte on this date in 1991. Damn that a lot of bikes!
Cycle Sport at the time was one of the smallest shops in Nebraska.
The Bike Rack was the next shop. While I was there, The largest Bike Shops in the Midwest.(it might still be)
Highgear (AKA Midwest Cycling) was the next shop. The up and coming shop in the Midwest.
So I guess that its safe to say that I have seen the full range, smallest to largest. And the new up and comers in Nebraska.
Now I'm in Wisconsin, Cronometro, one of the top Custom Bike shops in the country.
Bike's have done a lot for me. I meet my wife, and have made friends for a lifetime while being in the bike business.
It has taken me to France, Twice. Seeing thing that I would have never gotten the chance to see.
I guess the long and short is. IT BEATS HAVING A REAL JOB!

To all those that I have meet Thank you! And for those of you I haven't meet, I hope to soon!
Here to another 16 years, at least!
Peace and Grease.
Grump

A little One on One action

2007-02-23T10:18:00.000-06:00

Girlz gone Grumpy II, When did they first go grumpy?

Its older then you and works better too!

Preschool bike stand.

Went up to Quality's open house last week, after Dinner on Friday night walked down to One on One Bicycle Studio. They had a showing of Tour DE France photos. Pretty cool! If you ever get the chance to stop by Gene's shop don't pass it up. Its a one of a kind shop.
All kinds of cool stuff, and you have to walk through the basement if there's a path.

Blog

2007-02-22T22:03:00.000-06:00

Good Morning Omaha is now up. I still need to fix it up a tad, but I will be posting on it soon.

-Peter

Good Morning Omaha

Hey 29erfan, Look what QBP just got in!

2007-02-15T12:56:00.000-06:00

Done

2007-02-13T10:52:00.000-06:00

Now all it needs are some race wheels.

One word DUMB ASS

2007-02-12T21:41:00.000-06:00

So you would think that if you drive in snow and ice you would know how to drive?

Dumb ass #1

Dumb ass #2

Dumb ass #3

Dumb ass #4

Dumb ass #5

Dumb ass #6

A little fun in the snow!

2007-02-10T22:03:00.000-06:00

Dylan the store chip head took his new Pugsley out for a little fun on the frozen lake Saturday. He said it only took 20 min. to ride across the frozen lake. With the temp. only getting up to the single numbers the lake should be thick enough to hold an heavy Surly.

WOMBAT Combat

2007-02-10T11:37:00.000-06:00

I applied for a job at Whole Foods Market. It's true. I'm growing out my hair even more and getting my ears pierced. I'm mapping out some tattoos as well... I'm gonna be a tree hugger...just not Mandan Park style...

I hope I get hired. I'll be making mad amounts of money. Especially for a 16 year old. I'm still going to work at Highgear as the bike builder and once in a while on the floor when things get busy. I don't think I'm going to save any of it. Probably just buy awesome bikes and go to as many races as I can.

The WOMBATS will be swarming me at Whole Foods. I am just a little rabbit and they are cougars ready to shred me. I'm going to need to wear one of those panic bracelets in case one tries to grab me and throw me into the back of her Range Rover. Hey, being a WOMBAT's little bitch child would have its benefits... I could get her to buy me all sorts of stuff, gimme a car, and a credit card (which I will max out and run away with).

OK...enough fantasy land here... I just hope I get the job. With or without the WOMBATS.

-Peter

Bike Update: Trek has lost my SRAM order and think they will have it by late next week. It will be done soon.

Almost

2007-02-06T22:39:00.000-06:00

Everything I need should be here tomorrow. Can't wait!

The way bars were intended to be shaped...
King headset-up

And it's still cold

2007-02-05T22:43:00.000-06:00

The high today was 2 what? 2 effing degree's I can't wait till next Monday the high is going to 19.

I don't think we made it

2007-02-04T21:35:00.000-06:00

It warmed up but not much. It got up to minus 2 grab your swim trunks!

Trying to stay warm

2007-02-04T10:42:00.000-06:00

Today high is going to be -1

? or ?

2007-02-02T20:47:00.000-06:00

Ok, weight or looks? Looks or looks?

I have an Alpha GS30 fork laying around and I have my stock Madone fork.

Which would you use?

I would save over 1/4lb with the Alpha. The weight difference is extremely noticeable when held by hand.

I think the Alpha is a nicer fork on top of its light weight.

Cast your vote.

Bike build as of now...

SSL Frame
Alpha Fork
Force Shifters
Force Rear Derailleur
Campy Record Ultra Torque Crankset
Campy Record QS Front Derailleur
Deda Newton Classics
Deda Zero100 SC stem
Thompson Masterpiece Post
SLR Kit Carbonio in white (when it becomes available)
King Headset

-Still Need a Stronglight Cassette

13.7lbs with build kit posted above with stock Race X Lite wheels.
12.4 lbs with Bontrager XXX lite tubulars.

Need to shed the weight somewhere. Either from my bike or my belly. Or both. I am 145 now. Ready to rock and roll.

Tuff as NAILS

2007-02-01T21:11:00.000-06:00

Doing the commute to work yesterday C-O-L-D as crap, look up and what do I see? You wouldn't beleive me if I didn't get a picture.

When I get to the store I check the weather its 1 DEGREE.
Dude bigger balls then me. I think he won the winter challenge in The Land of Cheese!

A slow drive home

2007-01-29T23:01:00.000-06:00

A little snow goes a long way. I leave the store in Madison, just a little snow.
About 10 miles into the 50 mile trip home I look up to see lights flashing a car is in the ditch and the cop is helping them out. Not 2 seconds later and I see the car in front of me shoot of into the media slide into a road sigh and come to a stop. OK so now its time to slow down, RIGHT? Hell no lets go faster! There must have been 6 or 8 cars behind me, what do they do after they see the car in the ditch, Lets go faster "I have 4 wheel drive I can go anywhere" That works great for going, doesn't work to well for stopping.
So anyway I take the foot off the gas just as the car fishtails. Heart stops, car behind me does the same as the car that was in front of me, right in the ditch.
Sorry no pictures I was to busy trying not to need to call a tow truck. The drive that
should take 45 mins. takes an hour and 15 mins. God I need a beer!
It's stopped snowing now. I guess I should get something done.

Pardon me while I blow up!

2007-01-16T22:27:00.000-06:00

So I'm On MTBOmaha looking around today. I see that Mod has added local shop links, Cool.
I haven't went to the old Bike rack site for a while so what the heck. Click and I'm there. Not to different from the last time I checked it out. But what is this on the right side? What to do on your bike in the winter, Hop on a Mountain Bike! That's cool. Skill building, if your only riding on road riding off road is a good change of pace and it keeps you out of the wind. (so far so good)
Then I see this.
" Fun And Games
Some people even play mountain-bike polo in the winter. Use a beater bike because this sport can be very hard on your bike. This is a great way to have fun and improve your skills, especially balance, on the bike. You will need a small ball, a mallet and an open area to play. To construct a mallet, use a dowel about one inch thick and 36-inches long, with a block of wood at the end. Always wear your helmet and BMX safety pads wouldn't hurt either. Teams of about four or five players work best. A soccer goals are about the right size for goals. Be careful and respectful of each other out there. Things can get pretty rough and a broken bone or bike is possible. For more information on bike polo check out the Bike Polo website at Bike Polo. "

We have been playing Polo for 3 years now. (I know that I left Omaha 5 months ago) Not once has anyone for the Rack came out to play. Every other shop in Omaha has had someone at least give it a try, If not played almost every week. Yes we invited every shop in Omaha to join us, I ask all of them, Myself!
So you ask why the rant?

There is a time and a place! Let your customers know! Everyone who plays will help you get started.
To my knowledge NO ONE has ever broken a bone in Omaha playing Polo!
As for broken bikes, just check Platte after a Sunday ride and you will see more broken bikes there then all the broken bikes after a season of Polo.
Don't call it ruff unless you call riding your Mountain bike at Swanson park ruff.
If you want to have someone get hurt use a 1" dowel and screw it to a block of wood.

I guess my point is why not get your shit together and at least try it before you put it down!
I take pride in the fact that I helped get Bicycle Polo started in Omaha. Every time I talked to anyone at the Rack to come out and play I got the "I'm not going to get my teeth knocked out by a mallet." They were eager to slam something that they never tried, and the once it got going they want it scare people away.
Sorry for the rant but this is something that has been brewing in me for quite a while. If the Rack has people coming out and playing, Sorry if not, try it you might have some fun.
Peace and Grease
Grump

here comes the snow

2007-01-14T22:59:00.000-06:00

Looks like the whole mid west is getting hammered. We have 1" on the ground and up to 5 more coming. We'll see.

Trek spy photos

2007-01-08T21:03:00.000-06:00

Saw these on the web thought I would pass them along. Trek is going compact? We'll just wait and see.

First Lance and now Floyd!

2006-12-23T01:19:00.000-06:00

From Cyclingnews.com

Leadville Trail 100: Landis vs. Armstrong?

The 2007 edition of the Leadville Trail 100 may turn out to be a battle of former teammates and Tour de France winners Floyd Landis and Lance Armstrong. Earlier this week, Landis said he would compete in the race after accepting an invitation from race director Ken Chlouber, who spoke with Cyclingnews. Armstrong announced his participation nearly a month ago. The two will battle on August 11th.

The endurance event will mark Landis' return to mountain biking, the discipline where his cycling career started as a young junior in central Pennsylvania. He later gave up mountain bike racing to embark in a full-time road racing career in 1998.

Chlouber, who's retired from Colorado's state senate, described the race's locale to Cyclingnews. "Leadville has one stoplight and is a small mining town. Lance Armstrong coming to Leadville will be our greatest visitor since 1878 when President Grant came here. We're equally excited to have Floyd Landis. This is a tough race, these are tough guys, they are coming here to win. It's unbelievable to have two Tour de France winners on our starting line."

"I started my racing career on a mountain bike in 1993," remembered Landis, who anticipates returning to his roots. "Training for Leadville will be great preparation for a return to the Tour de France. With my successful hip resurfacing and my training load increasing, I'm very much looking forward to racing my bike again." Landis is recovering from hip surgery on September 17th. Leadville will put his new hip joint to the test.

Landis is without a team for 2007, and his pro racing eligibility remains in question due to ongoing proceedings for a positive doping test from Stage 17 of the Tour de France. If the positive test is upheld, Landis will be suspended from competing in sanctioned races, but Chlouber said Landis will be welcome in Leadville.

"Without question, Landis will still be able to compete in our race. We are more than grateful for him to accept our invitation to race. Personally, I believe that Landis will be exonerated, and his Tour de France win will be upheld." Referring to both Armstrong and Landis, "We have a deep and abiding appreciation for these two guys, and I'm not going to tolerate anyone being negative about them. One thing the mining industry has taught us over the last 120 years is a high degree of integrity. We expect that of ourselves and others."

The Leadville 100 began in 1983 and covers a 100-mile course through the Sawatch mountains. It features 15,600 feet of climbing and descending. Altitude is perhaps the most challenging feature of the race. Its lowest point is 9,200 feet, and the highest point is 12,620 feet. The race will accept registrations from January 3-31, 2007. A lottery will then select participants from the entries received. Typically, 750 racers start and about 500-600 finish.

Living on the edge

2006-12-01T11:18:00.000-06:00

About 4" of snow landed last night which in its self wasn't bad. The fact that our furnace went out yesterday however was. I never though that 60 deg. Was that cold till last night. Were just happy that we got it fixed this morning.

Getting adjusted to Wisconsin

2006-11-26T22:29:00.000-06:00

Well its going on 3 month that we have been in the land of Cheese. And what have I learned?
First thing is, they don't have Fat Tire in Wisconsin! I have to go to Illinois to get it, the good thing is that they sell it in 22oz bottles.

The best thing so far is New Glarus Brewing Co.
Don't get me wrong its not Fat tire but it's good stuff. And I have enjoyed my share of them the last 3 month.
So when it's all said and done life in Wisconsin isn't that bad. I may have a different tune when winter hits.

Just another day at the office

2006-11-16T21:53:00.000-06:00

When someone comes up to you and asks "What's up with all the cop's". Be careful when you go outside. You never know what you might run into.
Just a little Pipe bomb. Not to worry I think it was just a scare.

Czech this thing out...

2006-11-08T12:06:00.000-06:00

This is what motivates me to train and not make an ass of myself at the cross races. Oh, btw, I am killing everyone in high-end bike sales out here. I've sold 3 meivici's, 2 ottrots, and 2 R3's. All in one month... Along with 4 pair of Zero Gravs and 3 sets of Carbon clinchers. Well I made that all up, but the R3 is going to be pretty sweet. I'll post some pics later.

A little walk down memory lane

2006-10-24T21:58:00.000-05:00

Jeff Pierce's Team Motorola TT frame. The way it sets 6.9 lb. SLX tubing and still a bit on the chubby side.
Frankie Andreu's TT bike from the old 7-eleven days. Dont ask how much it weights you wouldn't believe me.

The next BIG thing in Pedals?

2006-10-24T21:47:00.000-05:00

So what do you think want to order a set today. It puts the ball of your foot ON the pedal axel!

A little reworking at the store

2006-10-24T21:42:00.000-05:00

Making more room requires a little handy work. Frankie(our shop pro rider) and power tool's what a mix.

Welcome to Wisconsin

2006-10-11T23:36:00.000-05:00

The first winter storm of the year. 11:45 pm and I see snow! Not what I wanted to see this soon.
But that's what I get for moving to the land of cheese.
Enjoy folks!

The complete 2007 campy bike

2006-10-08T12:01:00.000-05:00

I got everything together on the Custom Parlee. After it was all said and done a little over 15lbs, rides nice to.

Classic Campy

2006-10-07T23:19:00.000-05:00

Handbuilt in the Rockies.

Some cool old campagnolo from the early 80's.

2006-10-01T00:05:00.000-05:00

Now the light weight stuff

2006-09-26T21:42:00.000-05:00

152 for the front (record)

168 grams for the pair (zero gravity)

2006-09-26T21:28:00.000-05:00

Check out the Bearings

The complete crank bearings are attached to the spindle

The Pictures

2006-09-26T21:07:00.000-05:00

Brake set 283 grams

Check out the weight 703 grams for a Crank and BB

Campy 2007

2006-09-25T21:27:00.000-05:00

I got to touch the new Torquer crank and brakeset. SWEEEEET! The crankset is Effen light and cool. I'll get some pictures soon.

Sorry, it doesn't come in cheesy yellow

2006-09-17T19:59:00.000-05:00

The New Job

2006-09-13T22:58:00.000-05:00

A cool look at the new store.

Grumpy old effer

2006-09-08T14:17:00.000-05:00

Hello there,

How are things in wisconsin? I think I'm going to to stay with you and your family (if you like it or not...you probably won't). I wanna do some of the cross races there this winter. Hah! And you thought I was gone for good.

-Peter

Time to move on.

2006-08-09T22:46:00.000-05:00

No I am not deleting the blog. I'm just changing jobs and leaving town. The Family will be leaving Omaha this weekend and moving to Janesville WI. I have a new job at cronometro.
It is a high end road shop in Madison, Not that Highgear Isn't a high end shop Cronometro only does custom bikes. And its close to my wife's family. Which with 3 little ones is a big deal. Having the support and help from your family can make bad times not so bad.
Anyway with a little luck I will have some more time to be with the Wife and kids. And with a lot of luck I will have time to ride more then once a week. Stand by for new post after I get settled.
The Grumpy old biker is turning into a Cheese Head. We will have to see how that works out.

2006-07-27T16:32:00.000-05:00

Finish at Alpe d'Huez 2006

Just a little taste of France. Man what a blast!