Alright...

life still feels like I'm looking through empty pint glasses for goggles. I've been reading so many posts, articles, blogs, scrolls, and parchments about SSCXWC that you'd think I'd have my story straight. But it's no where close to making sense right now. Reading other people's accounts has only clouded my memories of what I saw and did, that I might be blending in other people's stories to create a magical tale that is only lacking leprechauns right now.

So today I turned to my camera for some clarity. After all...if I can't trust my own camera...who can I trust?

Scrolling through the photos I recall that I took absolutely NO PHOTOS of Saturdays time trial. The rain was falling faster and harder than the stock market lately. I do recall setting up a tent. I also recall Team Beer hanging out under my tent. And I remember Team Beer drinking all the beer I had in my car at 10am in the morning. This was verified later by CXMagazine...

"The...thing about the SSCXWC is that qualifying doesn’t require anything superfluous like “points” or “winning” or being Belgian. That’s why I’m standing in the parking lot of Chris King components looking at guys in Rainier jumpsuits who are drinking beer at ten in the morning."

The nerve of those Team Beer guys! Anyway...

The ride to the start was awesome. Just what everyone needed to get warmed up before hurling themselves on the snot covered course for 13 minutes. Unfortunately, the 30+minute wait we all had before we started gave us plenty of time to cool down.

The course went up until you were ready to puke. Then you were handed up a shot of Tequila and you really wanted to puke. Then you descended like a tripod around the grease covered corners. Crossed the finish line and prayed you didn't puke.

The top 100 qualified...unfortunately not everyone from Hot Cross Buns qualified.

Fortunately, in true SSCXWC style, they offered other opportunities to qualify. The first being a quick Alley Cat style race around Portland that started at Vanilla and included a stop at Mount Tabor, Voodoo Donut, and someones house to grab a PBR. Upon returning to the studio the donut was inhaled and beer slammed to qualify. (2 more HCB's racers qualified here)

{What a crew...can you spot the Kiss Kross shirt?}

The second way was to be the last person standing in the pub crawl hosted by Team Beer. (I still can't believe they drank it all!) One of our troop thought he could win this...I wish he would have done the Alley Cat...because I saw things that nite that will haunt me forever.

{Sabotage...reunited and it feels soooo good}

The first being Steve Fassbinder showing us all he could use a little "manscaping".

The second was my good friend Higgins receive a birth day lap dance by the biggest Zoo Bomber in Portland.

The third was a Zoo Bomber version of "Chicken". In which 2 hetero males "fight" seductively and try to make their opponent 'turn away'. (I'm still at a loss for words how to properly describe this)

{What not to say to a Team Beer member...while slurring}

{I can drink you under the table!}

Saturday was everything you can imagine and more. It truly is something to be experienced. The "crack" team I assembled was awesome. Their energy and enthusiasm for this was unmatched. Everyone in costume. Everyone participating. Almost everyone either on a RX 1.0, One-Way, or a Rainier...(which THIS girl won at the end of the event(i think she was psyched))

Results...well...we had 2 Hot Cross Buns dressed riders in the top 5. The rest were littered through the results like so many beer cans on the course. And one DQ.

{shouldn't someone be yelling at us about our Freedom?!}

{like lambs to the slaughter}

{How could I be DQ'd!?!?}

{I can hear mechanics everywhere groaning right now...it had to be done!}

I think one of the emails I received summed up the event pretty well.

Maybe it's because you sent Mr. "Munson" over the edge on Sunday. Good lord, it was like trying to corral a 3 year old after a bath. Dude stripped down in the parking lot and was running around trying to clean the mud off of himself with a 5 gallon jug. Not caring who he ran across, or past. Then again G running around in his thong was much, much worse.

I don't know who the "you" is that this email speaks of...but they know who they are and I'm sure the guilt they feel far out ways any punishment they could receive.

To polish off our SSCXWC experience we honkered down in a fine PDX establishment, tried to order Rainiers...but they were out. All they had was Hamm's....hmmmm...I wonder what a Hamm's painted cross bike would look like?

Till next year...

Lapse in Judgement

Note. If you find yourself having a couple Barley Pops with Nightstick...don't...I repeat...don't agree to do a mountain bike ride with him on your Single Speed Cross bike.

Because when morning rolls around and you find yourself on your way to the Ferry with a couple of guys on Mountain Bikes, and he calls saying "I thought you meant (whichever) Ferry. I don't think I can make it to (the ferry we were meeting at) Ferry in time." That's when you find yourself screwed and holding on for dear life for the next 3 1/2 hours.

Don't get me wrong here. I had a blast.

The guys I ride with are awesome.

The trail is swoopy and fun.

I LOVE my Raleigh Rainier.
I love riding single speed.
I love riding single speed cross.

But somewhere around the Chevy Celebrity on our ride in Banner Park...that's when I was wishing I had fatter tires and disc brakes.



Despite my gripes about the Seattle skies, I don't know of too many places you can live where you can get up in the morning, have a stellar cup of coffee, (I just wish I would've had enough time to make some of these this morning!) hop on a ferry and 30 minutes later be riding your bike on 25 miles of single track.

{The space 2 bikes take up on a Ferry VS...}

{Imagine how many bikes you could fit in here!}

{Awwwww...}

On a completely different note. Check out the Raleigh Web Site. It's been changed it up a bit and there are some new backgrounds to look at. (Just who is that handsome devil in some of those pictures?!)

CrossVegas...

Man-O-Man am I on top of things around here! I still have a bunch of stuff I want to write about Interbike...but since I just posted the perfect NW Cross race I should show how folks do it in Nevada.

First off I'll say I'm the luckiest boy at Raleigh. All because I like to go out and make a fool of myself I got excused from a massive company function the night of CrossVegas. Only a couple of us got Hall Passes and I was psyched to be one of them.

Earlier in the day the Vigilantes over at Yakima gave me a call and informed me that they were going to be riding to the race for warm up.
Warm up? Isn't that were you huddle up with as many people as you can to stay warm, take nips off the bottle, and doubt forms in your head about why we do this kind of thing?! Apparently some kids take this stuff seriously...but the Vigilantes are a fun crew so I was 'all-in' for a ride over to the race. Although half way there, with sweat pouring out of my hat, and the hair dryer on HI in my mouth...I was reconsidering my choice.

The field was deep...again...somewhere around 90 riders. They crammed us all into the Finish area like cattle heading for the slaughter house. I was relieved to hear them calling up names of all the important people. I figured being the new marketing guy over at Raleigh I'd be called up for sure...they never called my name...they never called it. I couldn't believe it (I was soooo shocked). So the rest of us all rolled up to the start line and fired the gun...

{See if you can spot the Coveralls in the first few minutes and then again around 6.45}

After we completed the 'parade loop' and rolled past the announcers, they announced the race would be 3 laps.

THREE LAPS!

I don't know how many of you have done a cross race but that's barely enough time for your cow bell hand to get warmed up.

At that point I gave my shoulders a shrug and in an attempt to get DQ'd found out where the beer garden was. I stopped every lap to share a beer with a fine gentleman who could see I was Popeye in need of a boost...but was never pulled.

Approaching the last leg of the race I happened upon Neil of Road Magazine settling into a 'finishing' pace. I've met Neil before but it was a couple years, and job positions, ago for me so I knew he wouldn't remember me if I grabbed his ass. So I held off and went around him...or so I thought. As soon as we hit the next sharp turn Neil went flying by me. I could hear his thoughts brewing in his head as he stood up and drove his bike through the carpet.
"I'm NOT going to let a guy in coveralls beat me. Let alone a guy riding a single speed wearing coveralls."
Normally I wouldn't mind, however today was different. And this was a different rider.
So I stayed on Neils wheel until we got to the finish line and came around him with my guns in the air. YAHOO...I probably beat Neil for 65th or something!

{I actually had GRASS STAINS instead of mud!}

Anyway. Afterwards the Vigilantes informed me they were one of the title sponsors and had a VIP area with free beer, food and the best seats in the house for the Elite categories. How awesome is that?! I ran into a few more folks from Portland...

{Hi Sherry!}

and we all watched Lance give a go with the big boys of the US Cross scene.

After the race was over the Vigiliantes grabbed me and drug me on their double decker party bus they had chartered for the event...WHAT?! A double decker bus?! And I didn't have to wait in line with everyone else to catch a shuttle back to the strip!? Is there no end to how sweet this night is going?

{You can make out a Rapha dude, an FSA lady, and...well...I really don't know}

As for the rest of the nite...all I will say is I ended up at the Sinclair party...still wearing my coveralls...with my race number still attached.

The next day on the show floor was not an easy one. Especially with the buzz we created with the outfits we were wearing...but that's another story.


Bacon tomorrow...

StarCrossed...

Was TWO WEEKS AGO...I know I know I know, but I can't let that race go by with out a posting. After all, it was the first time my new cross bike got to see some racing and StarCrossed proved to be the perfect place for it to debut.

Temperature...45 degrees
Chance of Rain...100%
Seattle Cross Crowds...Awesome!
Amount of mud ingested...2lbs
Number of Tall Boys provided by Rainier for the race...96

We arrived early to the race on Saturday as one of our crew jumped into her very first Cross race ever. She was freak'n out before the race started, but a quick shot of encouragement and hit the course with a fresh layer of lipstick and a huge smile. She didn't win...but that wasn't the point. I'm super proud of her for just jumping into the fray...

After her race I was wandering around the pits and I came across an old nemesis of mine. Phil. (Some of you may remember Phil from a previous race in which I got booted out early for wearing coveralls)

As I stood there, looking coolly at him, in my brand new White Coveralls with Rainier styled graphics he looked me over and a forced smile appeared on his face. I finally broke the silence...

"I'm alright in this get up here...right?" Referring to a comment he had made earlier about my 'antics' being better appreciated in the cross scene.

He laughed and as he walked away all I heard him say was 'yup'.

As our start time got closer, the rain fell harder, and the lines of people signing up grew shorter. So I went over to register and ran into Phil once again...

"You know you can't race in that...right?!"
"Whoa Phil, you told me I would be alright in this get up in the cross races."
"This isn't Portland" he retorted.
"Maybe it should be"
"Let me think about this..."
"If I may interject Phil. If I remember the rule correctly...this suit does NOT provide an aerodynamic advantage, and it has sleeves"
He thought long and hard...and as he grinned he let an "alright" pass though his lips.

Whew.

With a little more time to go we "warmed up" in the pits. This involved some chain-less spins on the bike to warm up the legs, and some Rainier Curls to lighten up the cooler. Then, to our surpise, we had a visitor...another Cross soldier swung by our tent with a present. Much like a knight of old he knelt before our crew and presented a pair of Rainier Arm Warmers like he was presenting us Excalibur. With great joy our crew accepted his gift, only after he promised to join us after his battle on the field, fill his cup and regale us with stories of times gone past. There was much rejoice.

Race numbers mean everything in cross. The higher the number the worse your starting position. In the Cat 3 men they started with number 200. I got lucky and got #288 out of 296! I was stoked.

With a crack of the gun the wheel spray began and our bleach white coveralls were christened.


Bumping, rubbing, crashing, sliding, pushing, tripping, ass grabbing, beer drinking, and heckling. And all that was from the spectators and supporters! How can you not love this sport?!

{Tell me that ain't a good look'n support crew...I dare ya}

{It takes a lot of work to support, and a sweet ass ta-boot}

{This silly punk flew all the way from sunny CO for a little WA fun}

{This kid had the time of his life!}

{Me? I can't figure out why I do this stuff}

{This cleaning bill is going to be through the roof!}

{Now that's how a cross bike should look after it's first race}

With the race wrapped up and the Elite crew warming up our rag tag crew broke down our base camp and headed for the city. Looking at the time I barely enough time to eat, wipe down my bike before boxing it up, share stories from the race, and pack for InterBike and CrossVegas. Which is another story all in itself...

Much thanks goes out to our good friend Dave Roth who was on hand to snap photos of the sillyness. More of the photos can be found here.

At A Loss for Words

My brain is mush from getting everything ready for the "big show" next week. My 'word hole' feels broken so I'll I'm going to take you through a visual journey. First I'll finish up my Eurobike post with the last of my pictures, follow that with a 'one is the loneliest' number ride, and finish with some cross sweetness.

{The show was at a Zeppelin hanger after all}

{Main entrance and great people watching spot}

{Viva bikes caught my attention}


{Look...no carbon anywhere!}

{I found Nemo hanging out at the show as well}

{Brooks had a Pegoretti}

{Definitely interested in trying the belt drive}

{Final parting words of wisdom from Europe}

This past weekend I escaped my cell phone, city, and general craziness for a couple days before I pour myself on a plane this weekend for Sin City. I decided a trip to Orcas Island was what I needed, and as always I wanted to ride a bike. However, my companion doesn't ride that often so I figured a Companion would be perfect for some short rides while there. Unfortunately, I needed a way to get it home before the weekend...and it's 18 miles to my house...

{What's wrong with this picture?}

{One is the loneliest number}

{I could've sworn she was there a minute ago...}

Before we left for the islands I had to stop and put down one of these...

Smarty Pants does it again with their Bacon-tini. It's a lot better than it looks.

Last nite was the last bike in movie nite at my house for the summer. And in a surprise move my buddy Nat showed up with a Birthday (that's what I told myself) slash Cross season present. Now tell me...if you can find a better looking vest than this...

To go along with this....

I'd like to see it! Doom has truly outdone himself with that vest...again.

Speaking of the big red R Raleigh...this weekend is StarCrossed and next week is CrossVegas. If ya'll find yourselves in the neighborhood...swing on by. The only thing I'm counting on in Vegas is being Disqualified for violation of UCI rule 12.1.040:50 which "prohibits Unauthorized Refreshments in a Cyclocross race". Wish me luck.

I really failed at posting from Eurobike (obviously) I'll try better in Vegas with no promises.

A Different View

Took an old familiar route into work the other morning, Lake Washington Blvd.

{i can't stop riding this thing!}

I've been riding so much in the industrial sections of Georgetown, South Park, and SoDo that the scenery change had me comparing it to my 'normal' route. On this ride I saw
more bikes than cars
more trees than smoke stacks
more water than railroad tracks
more nice houses than decrepit hoovervilles
more yachts than semi-trucks
more 'share the road' signs than 'speed limit 50mph'
more Starbucks than All City Coffee...wait...that one's not as good.

{best kept secret? summer in the NW}

{i heart my new saddle}

It's nice to change things up every now and then...I'm sure I'll hit this route a couple more times before the rain starts to fall again.

A quick side note...we got another 2009 bike in the office the other day. It's pretty sweet. Check it out here.