The Local Line Tree 2 Tree

Bummed couldn't make southern local riddle Sat. Today good day non-the less. Brownie primo now! Forward & backward tree to tree, full on torque slip while burning to tweak. Killer.

Local swamp Amy and I shoe'd bout a mile.

Old secret shoe, now butter. Between local hood1, non-theo theo I find  it.

Anyway after my hood trail it's 1/4 mile to Brownie. In Brownie passed guy not going slow. I climbed up to parkway then returned back down to Brownie to catch him circling for claimed 6th loop!!! Hardcore. I skipped Saturday but did forward and backward today. Forward out and backward after theo riddle. I'm starting to really pce together full theo park experience.

On way South back to Brownie (all woods from here too).
Jack all 3 but we cheat'n not doing table top, over...

Friday after local with Amy did the full to Robinsdale then back home loop.

Amy used my 07' Pug, said it kept making 8's....she had no control!

Other local track news. Leo & I having fun taking up basement. 80+ft.

SEE YOU SOON

Single Track to Scale

Brings back memories......I had 100+ft of track, 15 G+ and 25 regular cars. I'm re-living it again with Leo. This wasn't a Christmas gift just a go to the closet and start building!! Thanks to ebay we have mucho variety of tracks w/conversion connectors. This picture is already dated as we added another 16ft. We have never ending expansion plans.......need more cars!

Fat Winter to Skinny Rag

Got my Ragnarok e-mail, Jacob gots me card. until then....

Is below link accurate. Choices, choices, CHOICES!

MN BIKE TRAIL NAVIGATOR Nice job. That's alot of FAT bike races.

Drew the line XX Leb in/out

Top of the hill XX rock garden clean over one shoe'r tracks. No dab.

I drew the line today through XX. 

Forward xx and backward xx first tracks. Surprised no one but a solo shoe'er went for it.

X + XX + XX = X + 2XX = a really good time.

No entry since storm day

Backwards into my own track. Deeper than it looks. Awesome core work.

Log on Turkey Day

New line just cleaned today. Realize these are really old tall trees, we ride the trunk and down the branches. New one is 60+ft? Crazy fun when Sooooo big and round. Like a road. Ray, Jeremy witness and 1st participants. Now we all ride it like ain't no thang. But it's da shiiiite. Now we scoping log roll on log skinny. Nuts. More vids later. Found a few new lines today. Saw the Swansong ride. Good to see everyone out. Turkey's!!!!

Goat's Ride

Big group last night meandered from Robbinsdale to Golden Valley via Wirth trails, or not. Ended at Legion to an even larger group all to celebrate Pete's b-day.

River by Bloomington Ferry, Larry found my newest log. Not No Name Larry. 3N.

FLATMASTER Finds a Way

Stairmaster is now FLATMASTER, finds a way down by the river...

This Day.......

Ultimate Hillside Champ

12 of 13 2012 Hillside races. I missed one. Was traveling for work. It's tough to get up there for every race! I also raced through back (rare4me lower back issue), back (self induced crash off skinny), wrist sprain, bloody race start crash (I finished!), hillside duathelon, family schedule yadda yadda. Blood, sweat & fears. Made it to as many as possible no matter what!!  Hillside a favorites so easy to go for it. btw Sue claims Trophy made with ceramic lining of a water heater. She does cool stuff. Tina unveiled.  I'm bringing trophy to my shop Angry Catfish. Catfish knows how to take care of ya!

Dirt Bag in Da Bag

Another hundo complete. Today. Race has a lot more tarmac and circles than I thought. Flatter terrain. Still a good time. Organized well. Low key. Lots of food to enjoy before and after. Great cookies, awesome chili. I went 44x16 on the cx. Not enough time to change ss gear. Highlights: Catching back up to the lead group, losing the lead group, many of us at a dead end, I was offered and drank a malt at mile 70 and 103. Oh, and the pain from not riding much was definitely a highlight!! Legs didn't cramp but had that sapped empty hurt feeling only gravel endo can do. Last hillside race tomorrow. Costume required. See you there.

River Has It

The river still rocks. The two big logs I found last year remain. No Name and Eagle, 2pin lined up a new 35 footer called Hot Dog. Stair master and I found a new log called Not No Name. Walking the tree over creek with fat bike with only handle bar lights for the first time a bit of a pucker. Up and over alternate exit still good. What else. I still need to find the freak out teeter. 3+ hours messing around at night, down by the river. All good! Shantytown, the new age version in Bloomington still works for post ride fuel. Should I ride 104 on the pug at dirtbag?

Back after Crack

60 Miles West To Hutch, celebrate good health

It's been a while. I checked out, normal late season check-out plus cracked up this year.

Let's just say this year has been full of idioprofen and motrin moments. Well nothing too serious, not a moose-acre just crack. First point, seems this year focus was on family and work, and that's all good. Kids getting older and 4 week long trips to AZ for work, all good!

Looked outside to see if Leo and Friend made it, yep my boy Leo fixing a flat

So I focused on uber fun when available this Summer. Like road crashing on gravel with wood at Hillside (scabby scabs for weeks). No meds required there. Somehow I cracked my hand. Nice lump finally healing after Chequamegon weekend. Couldn't lift a cx bike.

Also managed to just race at Hillside while also work'n through a lower back issue (huh it's been years). Still no meds. Then after 5 years or more without a motrin moment I created one at Hillside. In a stupor I wheel'ed off a skinny at 1:00AM and slammed onto my back, on a root none the less landing. I can honestly tell you I sneezed 12 times in two weeks. Like a butter knife into the back. Still hurts. Yep motrin moments. Take as needed.

Thanks work, nice pad over golf course at foot of mtn trails. 

Train all day, work some but mainly play at night! In AZ heat and Mtn's. See the trail? Getting dark....

The 4 week long trips in 4 months trips to AZ for work we're great career learning and killer great rides at night. Love South Mountain!!!! Especially at night with lights. I have it wired! South Mountain, AZ "At more than 16,000 acres, South Mountain Park/Preserve is the largest municipal park in the country"

Nates cross country. THE RIVER LOGS ARE CALLING. Snow or Motrin???

Hillside 1:30AM Skinny

Impatient, I was bitching bout generator, lights & film crew set-up.
Now happy bout it.   Thanks Scrappy and Zilla productions!!

Better race this week...who cares...Moose got hit by a tree, then to Hospital. Crazy wind blew through as we raced. Rec class was racing behind adv and that's where it all happened. All I saw was tons of flashing emergency lights from a far. Glad he's going to be ok.

Video.....getting ready for el natural river bottom log skinnys found last year, we'll find more.

.....................with all this fun I might skip Sunday................

seriously

btw Camping at Hillside after out was a blast!!!

Alta Trail - Crag Like

This trail was 40% hike a bike. Going down at night was crazy hike a bike more than anything. It reminded me of many a approach hike I did to the crag (approaching a climbing wall). Steep, loose, practically 5th class. :) Very hard un-bike-able. It was dark on the way down the other side......

Phoenix S. Mtn Night Ride

With nightfall earlier now, packed lights for South Mountian night ride. I've hit almost every ridge line and hike a biked almost every major access over my trips here. Once up the ridge, the ride down is so fun. Better at night!!!!

From the south Telegraph pass is an easy access. A 20 min hike a bike. I hiked it after the 9 mile dessert classic trail. I came up in the saddle then headed up.



Looking to left of Saddle.



Another couple miles over the summit to Buena Vista lookout. City lights.....huge. 1000ft up from floor.

 Halfway down....

Buena Vista Lookout in the day..

This is how it looks during the day....

So unreal at nught. I admit I walked down more as I didn't want to kill myself up there. Amazing how many big ear rabbits, frogs, sipiders, heard a rattler, catapillars and life is up there. Good times....ok back to work.

Maplelag

Yep last holiday weekend was Maplelag.

The place rocks. Even Duncan the 17 year old said, "yes i want to go." It's a family yearly event. Cookies yes. Lake, comfy, woods, nice people, friends, racer family's and racers of all type stay the weekend and hang together. The course is awesome too. Quick recap...
   -30 seconds from the house we got hit from the side (car hit our pop-up!!)
   -All ok, just pop-up damaged.
   -Hacksaw to meg-shift pop-up camping. White trash to a whole new level!
   -Leo raced his remote control car until the wheel got damaged a bit (fix-able)
   -Pump track and jumps we're a big hit again.
   -Adults and kids playing a reckless game of frisbee with some glow in dark, some not frisbees (dangerous good times!)
   -Duncan jumped into the lake in full-on teen fashion, sprained his angle. Didn't race.
   -Mom raced and had fun hanging with everyone.
   -Alta did the kid thing, no racing, but has a total blast
   -I did the expert/pro race single speed, did pretty good
   -The only geared bike i had was my cross bike, i did some night riding in the woods!
   -I'm sick of blogging

Looking forward too..........

Summer Watts

82 years young, Duncan Sr., Amy's dad skiing this last weekend!!

Duncan Sr. by the boat he built last year.

Alta and the camera

Leo impressing or scaring Lucy

TNCX after being off bikes 8 days! TSS .84, way less than Buck Hill. I started dead last. Got there late.

Mid July Buck race, my kinda start and it was a good race. Over 1.0 TSS!

Ummm Yeah, I haven't been on the bike much this year!!!!

bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S bananas

Got Got Got Got No

BLINDED by  TIME.

Camping, Travel to AZ again, Maplelag, Tuesday Night Cross, Hillside Thursday's, bikes not ready. I can't keep the SS for Maplelag, just don't cut it for TT and CC Roads. Want to put powertap and gears on the CX too. Gotta get some miles and VO2 in. When. When will I find time to switch over bikes? I only have two free derailuers and with Duncan three bikes. When can I get to Catfish shop to buy? Wait I don't think I have enough geary wheels. Wait, cx tires and cc tires swapping between Tuesday Night CX and MTB Bike races? Crazy talk. Cables, shifters huh? Steal from Pug, NO cause river will be calling soon. All this work and no time. AND now that I can't do jack without readers it takes longer. Crap, I lost my readers I can't see....Yeah I've fallen but please don't help. See you soon I hope.

No Points til Winter

I've been sorta beat down ever since AZ. Got kicked at the boarder and my back is stupid. Once every few years I get the lower back tweak. Really no big deal and usually goes away on it's own. Waiting for it to go away. Cause of da back and da $$$ to drive up nort etc, decided no DuLac. Crap. It's my kinda course with an explosive start climb. I do well there even on SS. It's a good race to get series points cause many stay home (like me this year). Oh well. The next series races are some of my favorite even if they don't suit my preferred style, gears may go on instead of SS. Generally top ten in State will be hard to hold onto this year. Hillside, cross soon enough too. Leo and I made it to Hillside last Thursday night, pics of bread swag. We brought bread home, d-man liked.
Race Results.

I told Leo the rule, no blood to sock, NO POINT.

Overall Year Points Leader Ultimate Traveling Trophy.
This is the first year, winner name added each year.
We'll see who gets it.

SRV

No Like Border Crossing

I left the Twin Cities after 11:30AM to race at 1:00PM. I really didn't want to go, because I was tired from travel, AZ fun'ed out, Saints game the night before etc. etc. I like the single track, no lap traffic and climbs yet flats kill me on the single speed. Yeah yeah yeah that one guy can do it, but my legs wern't into it spin 25+ mph was not in the cards. Oh well. Still had fun. I think D-Man will make a return soon.

Georgia Gould (bronze medal!)

Very nice Georgia!  http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-blogs/cycling/frances-bresset-dominates-field-to-win-mountain-bike-gold.html

Geronimo Pics 111 Degrees

Another 2.5+ hours, on bike, hike/bike up for hours then down in 20, finish on road. Real work. Geronimo down my new favorite trail. Skidding and full suspension required. Ass way back, flick, hop, jump, twist and hope the wheel don't taco as you force corners. Any loss of balance and the terrain will threaten. I mean threaten. Scary good times. Stress and release. Brake off to avoid OTB, brake on to avoid out of control careen. Look out, pull up, push, flick....now! This time road to climb up Mormon, up National, down Geronimo then back to hotel on road. I've been on Telegraph and so many trails. Now I need to go farther west. We'll see.