Do not adjust your set...

Finally! A post done by someone else here. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of folks who ride here, but trying to get them to write something is tougher than keeping Britney out of the tabloids. So here it is...a post not by Brian...

What could ever be better than an afternoon spent out on some beautiful single track, happily lost in an area that I have only been riding in once before? I left with lot’s on my mind – work, travel, projects – and within 15 minutes I was only thinking about how freakin’ beautiful the forest is, how ridiculously big some of these stumps are, and how cool it is to ride my XXIX over the roots and rocks. I get to spend a good amount of time thinking about bikes – spec, pricing, marketing – but the ride reminded me about how awesome it is to be part of this industry. Bikes are just so much fun – and ultimately they allow many of us access. For kids it’s access to the park or their friends house, for the most of us it’s access to some fresh air and the neighborhood or a bike path and for other’s it’s access to fitness and competitive spirit – and for me last Monday, it was access to some cool scenery and adrenaline rushes that put things back into perspective.

My XXIX is one of my favorite bikes I’ve ever owned – it rides over everything in its path, feels super fast when climbing or descending and has a distinctive look and feel.

{So here is to the largest trees and stumps I’ve ever seen, holiday Monday’s and cool bikes}

Memorial Day was...well...part II

{I should have yielded the sidewalks warning}

Last year there was roller derby, mountain bikes, a city ride, good friends and beverages.

This year...mountain bikes, a 38 mile time trial, a city ride, good friends, BBQ's and of course...beverages.

Ski to Sea drew me out of Seattle for the weekend. What's Ski to Sea you ask? Their web site encourages people to "Experience the legacy of Mt. Baker's Marathon". I say to "Strap on your helmet and experience 7 Legs of Chaos!"

Start with 450 people on cross country/skate skis on mount Baker for a mass start...yeah...that's 900 sticks and boards fighting for 4 miles. Unleash 450 pissed off cats on the side of the mountain and spray them with a hose.

Tag to a teammate who races 2.5 miles downhill on either skis or a snowboard and then has to climb the side of a mountain. When selecting someone who has a thousand foot climb to do...the smoker is not a wise choice.

Tag to the 8 mile down hill runner. Watch what your runner puts into their body the morning of the race, because the run sucks when you have the runs.

Hand off to the Road Cyclist who does a 36 mile time trial. Now mix in a guy doing a time trial in Coveralls and a tall boy in his pocket.

The canoers take off for a 13 mile float and hand off to the mountain biker for 9 miles of extreme. Cancel the Canoe because the river is too high. Ride a mountain bike on a course I could have ridden my road bike on.

Finally the sea kayaker brings it home after being at sea for 5 miles. And paddle like the devil because of all the water rushing into the sound from the bloated rivers.

Who wants to sign up for next year?!

Out of 450 some odd teams we failed to crack the top 100. However we came away with a moral victory knowing that Team 'Behaviour Unbecoming An Athlete' got 4th in the Best Team Name division.

{waiting for the runs}

{they can't stop me from wearing these all the time}

{although afterwards I felt like I was on my power walk at lunch}

{a 'participants' reward}

Ski to Sea photo is obviously not mine. However Jon Brunk was on the scene covering the race.

Friday's Rant

Earlier this year we reported about the demise of the Rainier Cold Storage building in scenic Georgetown. It's been pretty sad watching a piece of Seattle history hauled off one truck load at a time everyday. Rainier was the Beer From Here. It spawned a slew of commercials that were icons in their day.

From the great roaming herds of Rain-deer,

To the motorcycle everyone remembers

Even Budweiser's Frog commercial was inspired by an earlier Rainier ad

Lately however, wild Rainier sighting have been rare. The commercials are gone. Tully's took over the old Brewery, removed the neon beacon R from the building replaced it with a T. They then painted it to look like something that would come out of a clown after an all nite bender.

It's been dark times for the Beer from Here. You can still find the can containing Yakima Hops, but PBR has infiltrated every nook and cranny of Seattle. Pushing Vitamin R behind the Milwaukee Ribbon winner in almost every bar. But what I saw the other day riding home made my Rainier Warm with rage.

Right in the heart of the neighborhood that was built around Rainier....

Right across the street from the very building that is being torn down....

{the Cold Storage used to block out all the green you see}

{cruddy panoramic of the malt house, and mural across the street}

It feels like someone just grabbed my six pack and shook it up right in front of me.

Restore Rainier to it's natural habitat. I'm going to try and do what I can. Stay tuned for more.

Forever Hopeful

With temperatures hitting the 80's last week, and Seattlites flesh burning faster than this guys eyebrows. I got excited and removed my fender from my bike.

While this might not seem like a big deal to anyone outside of Seattle...I'm sure everyone in Seattle reading this are shaking their heads. Why? You don't remove your fenders till July 5th. Our official start to summer.

{you're smart...I'm dumb}

{yuk}

To avoid the looming deluge of water, PJ and I ducked into a local watering hole. With our shoes drying and our livers drowning we took up a game of 'Speed Connect 4' to pass the time. While the pretty colors and fast paced action are usually more than enough to keep us entertained. We spiced things up by spinning the 'game board' every few drops. Believe you me, it's a lot harder to refocus your attention than you think.

{prepping}

{ready...........}

{GO!}

{I thought these signs were reserved for hippies}

I placed my fender back on my bike this morning. However, that doesn't mean I've learned anything from yesterday. I will remain forever hopeful and at the next sign of sun...I'm sure it'll come off again.

Just Another...

Friday...Bike to Work Day. Or...as some of us look at it...Just Another Day I Bike to Work. However, this morning was special. This morning I was up at 5am to take off for Head Quarters to set up a food stop for all the commuters.

{this is the time I usually get up...not leave...ugh}

It's pretty amazing how the mind works, and even more so when it's riding a bike at 5.45am with no coffee at the helm. While my brain was still engaged with ghost pirates, snakes wearing vests, and bacon next to waterfalls...my body was trying to turn over my pedals. In my sleepy condition my thoughts eventually started to focus on what was on the trail...and all the new faces on the trail. 'Look at all the Bike to Work Day' people out riding today! This is great.

But at the same time, why do so many people just ride in today. On this one designated day of riding in to work. My thoughts regressed to that of a High School student who was all irritated that 'their' band had gotten too big...a total 'I was listening to them when' mentality. I hadn't seen any of these people riding their bikes back in January when it was 33 degrees and raining everyday. Where were any of these people when we were battling frost bite and had to wear ski/work gloves? Where were they when...wait...what time is it again? 6am? I'm not on the trail for another hour usually...

Then it dawned on me that maybe I was the new guy on the trail to everyone riding in. Maybe I was the 'Where was this Single Speed riding, Chrome Bag wearing hipster...' in the minds of the people I saw that morning...

I told my mind to 'shut up' until we got to work and got some coffee.

{you know you live in Seattle when shadows excite you}

Our tent was a success. People were fed, some schwag was distributed...and all off the Starbucks grid. I can't wait to see if McDonald's will sponsor Drive Your Bike to Work Day.

"Yup, Life Moves Pretty Fast..."

"If you don't stop and take a look around once in a while, you might miss it."

---Ferris Bueller

From the moment I rolled out of Raleigh America on Friday, life was rolling. It seems I spent the entire weekend on my bicycle.

Friday we came across a little bit of Tee-Pee from a departing co-worker

Some Commuting Salmon swimming up stream

And some pretty amazing colors in the sky

Saturday was See-Ya-de-Mayo. Two good friends are leaving the Emerald City for PDX. (Based on those two nick-names, which would you rather live in?!)

Photograph based Alley Cat, and all around fun. With stops that had us at venerable Seattle Beer establishments like Linda's, the Canterbury, Athenean, Shorty's, and the Summit. Various landmarks including the Jimi Hendrix statue, Bruce Lee's grave, "Cool Guy" Park...and me being paired up with a girl who was new to Seattle and another who was new to Bicycles, what could go wrong?!

{high heels and bicycles...}

{Largest Paint By Number, and a local Comedy Troop}

{yup, we have baggage}

By the way...we didn't hit all the stops (we really couldn't) and we rode away smelling like victory. I kinda felt bad for some of the other participants...(labled 3 hour tour)

Sunday was a Birthday ride in Anacortes...Bikes, Bros, Beverages, and Single Speeds. Sound just about right.

{all about product placement}

{Happy Mothers Day!!!!}

Friday's Bike to Work Day...

Rush Hour...

The posters done by Bicycle Alliance of Washington visualize what we'd all like. They create a little Seattle Utopian dream world where cyclists rule the road and cars are relegated to the gutter. Unfortunately no one told this guy that the dream is not reality. Until it is, he should take notes from this video on how to avoid those pesky people trying to stop him on the interstate.

Around the office we all can't help but wonder if they took him in for his 'mental evaluation' not because he was on the Interstate, but because he was on a bicycle.

Prescription

This came across my desk the other day. Rx 1.0, not just for silly Cyclocross races anymore.

On the Bright Side

{Would love a splash of blue here}

This morning I awoke with a heavy sigh and a 'piss poor' attitude. Looking out my window was the same painting I've seen all winter. Grey skies, the huge tree in the back yard swaying from the head wind I'll face, and the squirrels (that nest in my attic) shivering from the cold.

As I frowned my way down the road, I happened to cross paths with a good friend. Even though we were headed in opposite directions we stopped and had a quick chat. After the chat I couldn't help thinking what a sweet surprise that was. And while the wind picked up, so did my disposition. So I began to think "yup its cold and windy but at least..."

1) I'm not wearing toe warmers anymore

2) I haven't really needed a front fender on my new Rush Hour, because I can't put one on

3) I haven't had to stuff newspaper in my shoes to dry them out lately

4) It's bike to work month and there are now people to say 'hi' to on the morning ride

5) KEXP provides a sweet Podcast that keeps my music fresh

6) I've been riding across flower petals on the trail and not glass

7) My muffler fell off my 4Runner so I really have to ride into work right now (no excuses)

{Seattle Green Room}

{Splitting the difference}

{This one stays on till July}

While the list is modest...it was just enough. Just enough that I got into a sweet little groove this morning and almost overshot work to keep riding a little bit longer.