tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23227523254317769192024-03-05T19:58:31.123-06:00What I Do.Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-89752780253860636362015-02-12T10:20:00.000-06:002015-02-12T10:20:18.032-06:00Back for 2015?<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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I'm thinking about firing this thing back up for 2015. After the Cheq 100k last year I wrote a post and while proof reading thought that it came off too serious. Then another about the Cheq 40. Same thing. So I never posted them. Riding a bike is fun, really nothing serious about it at all. I'm going to try and focus more on the fun and less on the results/ mindset. I usually post all my good photos on FB, I'll try and save some for here.<br />
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However, I've moved the blog over to:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">https://bretts100.wordpress.com/</span></b><br />
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Full explanation over there, but the gist of it is mobile functionality which will hopefully help me post more often.<br />
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So if you'd like to follow the blog add the new link to your reader.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">https://bretts100.wordpress.com/</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-63052888925448795022014-08-15T13:03:00.000-05:002014-08-15T13:03:10.331-05:00Summer 2014I haven't had a real post since mid- June. I would write and then proof read it and not like the way it came out. It was too serious. It didn't represent my true feelings. I am much more interested in having a good time and hanging out with people than I am about how well I performed or what was going through my head while riding and I don't think I did a good job of conveying that. Onward.<br />
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Summer finally arrived and it has been a whirlwind.<br />
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Cheq 100k - Had a great time. Course was tough. I was doing well, got a bit lost at one point, got back on course. Suffered after the 100M/100k split to the finish. Hung out for quite a while afterwards and had some beers and pizza. Highlight of the day was Todd finishing the 100M on his 5th attempt.<br />
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The Lutsen 99er was the next weekend and was an awesome time. Think Heck of the North times 5.<br />
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July was filled with wedding planning and lacrosse. I think I rode my bike twice. I have been getting to the gym a lot though, so not a big deal.<br />
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Cooper and I started doing a lot more fishing. My Dad gave Cooper a pole over the 4th and I grabbed my old fly pole. We've been fishing about 2-3 times a week since.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Croix</td></tr>
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It has become the perfect time filler. If we have a free hour or two we go fishing. So far we have been to Lily Lake in Stillwater, Battle Creek and Powers Lake in Woodbury, The St. Croix beach by our house and along the King Plant outlet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBkWV6tj_C-uomFc6P1yLvuY-WhB7QS-ZrjfzvkG4subbog9QkSA5qzqgzvLL5k7ySeUw7XQCcUomN72fBKw398HNJt8U2nnbi_dIPhcPFImrVFPdfBdXSshaywqu1PfUwLVmSWgtYE8/s640/blogger-image-777715950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBkWV6tj_C-uomFc6P1yLvuY-WhB7QS-ZrjfzvkG4subbog9QkSA5qzqgzvLL5k7ySeUw7XQCcUomN72fBKw398HNJt8U2nnbi_dIPhcPFImrVFPdfBdXSshaywqu1PfUwLVmSWgtYE8/s400/blogger-image-777715950.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biggest catch of the year</td></tr>
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Our favorite is Lily Lake and it is only a 5 minute drive from the house. Cooper is into catching bass and Lily has some close to the shore.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyRHXm-3G8zP3f9eLVopkrkKPSafPOLSIxDu4NR2vkYtrVLd1DLGHSO0gWvWQVYFbsC9L93hoo3t4zzwKQoAlArWXa3rNI3I3msVixYoNniblKPZhMmJLr0WjcLpDXhk4LkWpCwi2kzs/s640/blogger-image--1386259916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyRHXm-3G8zP3f9eLVopkrkKPSafPOLSIxDu4NR2vkYtrVLd1DLGHSO0gWvWQVYFbsC9L93hoo3t4zzwKQoAlArWXa3rNI3I3msVixYoNniblKPZhMmJLr0WjcLpDXhk4LkWpCwi2kzs/s400/blogger-image--1386259916.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First cast!</td></tr>
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I have been working on my casting form. It's not easy. If I have the wind to my back I look like a pro. If it is coming from anywhere else I look like the beginner I am. There are a TON of small panfish at Lily. There are times where my fly is in the water for a split second and already gets a strike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTI65inqdJIvt36bVV_k0u6LgOqTlZjyD7XB8IpezFZbx_77dR3hhsaNDBxTOMjlKclyXlTp8_Ms0r7abZNEv0-gj81rL6xkax8HBpsOl7DWTn2FfwP-gn9xRUEi6fiXakbPZMuaben2s/s640/blogger-image--780723888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTI65inqdJIvt36bVV_k0u6LgOqTlZjyD7XB8IpezFZbx_77dR3hhsaNDBxTOMjlKclyXlTp8_Ms0r7abZNEv0-gj81rL6xkax8HBpsOl7DWTn2FfwP-gn9xRUEi6fiXakbPZMuaben2s/s400/blogger-image--780723888.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not too bad from the boat launch</td></tr>
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It can get annoying when I am trying to work up to longer casts. Cooper has the biggest catch of the year so far. A nice size large mouth bass. I am in 2nd with a large mouth and Rory is in 3rd with a good size perch. This Sunday I think I am going to go out to River Falls and try my luck for some trout on the Kinnickinnic river.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-gLCl7Y4NWZ9pWVAcEreACDxwfU__2X8ivichEium34uDQ_dE2JXi_XXkpToBPTu45yGrFWiTpxiDD_3_0TLdHKjvbYULj0bpfLgz-S4vXNiFA7uqgwsqLW9vZ3O1EWfNKhO8zRFMPY/s640/blogger-image--458753953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-gLCl7Y4NWZ9pWVAcEreACDxwfU__2X8ivichEium34uDQ_dE2JXi_XXkpToBPTu45yGrFWiTpxiDD_3_0TLdHKjvbYULj0bpfLgz-S4vXNiFA7uqgwsqLW9vZ3O1EWfNKhO8zRFMPY/s400/blogger-image--458753953.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical Lily fish</td></tr>
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The wedding was about 2 weeks ago and went great. I think everyone had a good time.I was very nervous about how it was all going to go off, but from my point of view it went smoothly.<br />
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After the wedding we went to the Dells for 3 days and stayed at our favorite spot, The Wilderness. I love that place. We've tried them all, and the Wilderness is hands down our families favorite. Going back again next year. That was the "Family Honeymoon". We just booked our "Real Honeymoon" and will be going to the Dominican Republic at the end of January. Should be a fantastic time.<br />
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Diana and I also finished our 2nd Half Marathon. This year we did the Gopher to Badger race. It started at the Washington County Fairgrounds and ended in North Hudson. Overall I'd say it was a little easier than the first, but just a little. I don't run very often so my feet started to swell and gave me some trouble but nothing that I couldn't tolerate. I didn't walk till mile 7 this year. Then I would run for about 3/4 of a mile and then walk for 10 seconds. This seemed to work out pretty well.<br />
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For the past week and a half we have been in a bit of a lull. It was much needed though.<br />
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Tonight Cooper starts football and next Monday Rory starts soccer and gymnastics. Cooper's practices are in the Afton area so I am going to take advantage of that and ride while he is practicing. Hopefully it will work out well.<br />
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In September I will be racing in my first Fat Tire 40. Should be an interesting experience. Then at the beginning of October will be the Heck of the North.<br />
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2014 has been quite a year. It's made me think about getting a Go Pro. I don't really have an interest in watching individual videos of things I film, but I think a Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sept, Oct-Dec video as well as a year video would be pretty cool.Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-74312590344355818872014-08-14T10:38:00.003-05:002014-08-14T10:38:30.439-05:00Lutsen 99er <span style="color: #e06666;">(Very late post. I was waiting for pictures, but they were very protected. Not even worth a screen grab.)</span><br />
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I've known for some time that LifeTime puts on great events but had not participated in one since Leadville 2011. I heard about the 99er it's first year but since it fell on the same day as the Chequemegon 100 I never considered it. This year I saw an ad for it and realized that they were on different weekends. I was in.<br />
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The event has gotten huge. I think there were 1500 people there between the 3 distances (19,39,99). The vibe was great as well. You often hear about how the gravel races are so relaxed, and the 99er had the same feel. I didn't see anyone sprinting down the hill at the beginning. Everyone was keeping it under 15mph just as asked and not a lot of sprinting once we got to 61 either. Once we turned up Caribou people hit the gas. Myself included.<br />
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The first climb was not <i>that</i> bad. I like to climb though, so that probably has something to do with it. About 6 miles in I could still see the leaders about 300 yards in front of me, soon after we went around a corner and they were completely out of sight. They must have finally felt warmed up enough.<br />
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We then made a right on to a loose gravel road and the pace picked up. I was hanging in and feeling good. I even bunny hopped a couple puddles which drew a few smiles. However, those would be the only ones I hopped. I rode through the other 87 or so others.<br />
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We then turned on to a snowmobile trail and the unpredictable fun began. There was sharp ups and downs, misc. rocks, puddles, and mud. It was fun at first, but did get a little old. Once I unlocked my fork it made for an easier ride. Side note: At about the 10 mile mark there was a young guy on the side of the trail asking for a CO2. I'm usually pretty generous, but fuck that. You don't bring ANYTHING to inflate a flat on a 99 mile ride you deserve to hang out with the mosquitoes.<br />
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At about mile 22 we passed the first aid station and did our first of 2 laps. There were some pretty cool sections of trail in this loop. There was a small creek crossing and a section that seemed as if we were riding through a tunnel in the forest. Coming out of the 2nd lap I stopped at the aid station and got a banana, half a PB&J, a honey stinger waffle, and refilled both my bottles. I headed down the road eating it all and enjoying the hard packed dirt road. I caught up to someone and asked them if they knew how the remainder of the course was. they told me that it was all roads to the finish. Should be much faster than the first half. They were right, but not a lot faster, nor easy. The heavy overnight rains had created massive puddles that seemed to come up about every 100 feet. They were relentless. Some you could barrel through, some you had to pedal through and they all had mud on the other side. It was just a mess.<br />
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At some point (Mile 75?) we got out of that and it was all roads till the end. Very enjoyable, very scenic. I just rode my own pace and took it all in. I was shooting for under 7h30m and knew that was in sight if I kept up a 15mph pace. The last mile or so was old MTB trails which were very fun. There was a couple big rocky climbs and a nice downhill as well. When I popped out of the woods I could hear music and knew the end was near. It ended up being a couple miles short of 99, but I was happy to be done.<br />
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Great race. I'll be back next year.<br />
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<br />Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-26179515902001039912014-06-19T14:17:00.001-05:002014-06-19T14:17:49.140-05:00Stillwater Crit<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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I've heard about the Stillwater Crit before but have never made it over. This year I had no idea when it was happening again until I was at the Chilkoot Cycles group rode and someone mentioned it.</div>
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It was on Father's Day so I decided that it would be a good place to take the family. </div>
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We made the 2 mile drive over because there was the chance of rain and I didn't want the lids to have to put up with possibly having to ride in the rain. It turned out to be gorgeous though.</div>
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I couldn't imagine climbing this 23 times But some dudes were flying. According to Strava one guy averaged 18mph up it. IDK. maybe. he was using a Cateye GPS so he's suspect to me. HA.</div>
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I don't know the inner workings of this circuit, but there were people that were out there just to have a good time. They were pulled maybe 5 laps in? How is this worth spending money on? Maybe they are just not good at climbing.</div>
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Kind of a lame post. Cheq 100 this weekend. Hopefully I have some photos and stories.</div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-12688026130131805972014-06-11T12:52:00.000-05:002014-06-11T12:52:48.968-05:00I Got NothingI haven't posted anything in a while so I guess my life has been mundane. It's actually been anything but, just nothing worth writing about. But if thousands of people are into Steve Tilford's blog where he talks about his group ride that day, maybe people are into the mundane. So here goes:<br />
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Despite peoples hatred of others listening to music while biking (Because doing two things you like at the same time is unacceptable) I went out and bought a nice pair of headphones for riding. Great fit, they don't fall off and the sound is incredible. The only con I can think of is the cord is a tad short for my liking.<br />
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I built a pull-up bar for the garage. I've been practicing them at the gym and want to get better. Right now I can do 5 strict pull-ups and 12 kip pull-ups. I'll get better.<br />
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My neighbor is moving and gave me a Yakima 1 inch hitch rack. I already have one so I dickered it into a Thule roof rack set up. I wanted a roof rack for days that I have to go a few places other than the trail. I feel that the bike is more secure up on the roof and less likely to be stolen. Who knows. I could be wrong.</div>
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I did my first group road ride in about 2 years last Wednesday. It started at the Chilkoot Cafe in Stillwater, headed north for a bit and then picked up on the Gateway to Lake Elmo and then back. It was OK. No real pace line. Everyone was cool. It was a little slow for my liking though. they have a fast ride on Saturday mornings so I am going to give that one a shot and try not to get dropped. </div>
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I bought a 20" replacement blade for my lawnmower. Turns out I need at 21". Back to Home Depot.</div>
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Rory and I went to see Shrek the Musical at the Children's Theater. It was good enough. Had some top notch seats though. I told her that we could go wherever she wanted for dinner; she chose McDonald's. I couldn't remember the last time I even at fast food, so I agreed. I don't know how people eat that shit on the regular. So bland and unfilling. Well, the fries are good.</div>
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The last episode of Game of Thrones season 4 is this Sunday. I started watching the show last November and am glad I did. Two weeks ago death of Oberyn was pretty crazy</div>
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Although, I still give this death scene the #1 spot.</div>
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The teeth touching the curb gives me chills every time.</div>
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I'm going to The Battle Creek group ride presented by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCBFWregNpM&t=1m12s" target="_blank">Erik's Bike Shop</a> tonight. Should be fun as always.</div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-32420036911648684632014-05-19T10:52:00.000-05:002014-05-19T11:46:13.992-05:00Royal 162<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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I don't even know where to start. What a day. I guess it started back in September 2013 when Diana and I were choosing a wedding date. I told her that every weekend was open EXCEPT the weekend after Mother's Day. That weekend is never going to be open.<br />
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Then January rolled around and I got out a postcard and instead of writing Almanzo 100 as I had for the past 4 years, I slowly wrote Royal 162.<br />
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The next order of business was to get a geared gravel bike. I didn't have the cash to just plop down on a nice one so I had to wait and see what happened when I filed my taxes. Turns out it's nice to pay in a lot.<br />
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So then the training started. Other gravel races. Pushing hard at the gym. Pushing hard on 2 hour rides. Eating...better. All of this in hopes that it would pay off over the course of 162 miles.<br />
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I did a final training ride with Curt a week out and felt OK, but not great. When I finished the 62 mile ride I felt a bit exhausted and then immediately thought "I have 100 miles to go at this point next week" I think that's the first time that it really hit me of what I was about to undertake. I contemplated for a day if I should just switch over to the 100. Ultimately I kept coming back to the thought runs through my head at races whenever I get down, harden the fuck up. </div>
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Race day morning I woke up at 3:45am and headed for Spring Valley, MN. I arrived at about 6:10am, checked in and drove over to the finish line to park. I got everything ready to go and hoped that I brought enough supplies.</div>
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From there I headed over to the start where there was maybe 110 people? Can't be too sure. Chris said a few important words and then we were off. I was with the lead pack for maybe 5 miles and then decided that they were pushing too hard up the hills for me so I backed off to a comfortable, conservative pace.</div>
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Once we hit Nature Rd. I couldn't help myself but to climb a little faster. It was still a bit cold at that point so I thought going hard might warm me up a bit. I don't think it did, but it made me feel good mentally to get out of the saddle and push a bit.</div>
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( The very first photo and from here until the very last photo are all courtesy of Craig Linder</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/craiglindner/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/craiglindner/</a> He did an amazing job of capturing the beginning of the Royal and all of the Almanzo. Great photos.)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the first to last photo you can see the gap I was creating. jk. they caught right back up on the flat</td></tr>
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From there it was just up and down. Looking ahead and seeing what looked like a wall of hills and then getting closer and realizing that it's not <i>that</i> bad.</div>
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I happened to look at my overall ride time as soon as it hit 2 hours, which meant this was going on:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6H-z_FaWkh9lPqbj2svfErOOAndeeTw8eRUSW6DuYwC4VwR-n0fL7W5t5JsR3zw7v1Q143AgDv8IjUBwAlv_l-woGieKG_6puME-FZMQu1hFi_QV4hEnmvTWHkHos1ssDgFX0cr3rf3w/s1600/14194348746_341701b284_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6H-z_FaWkh9lPqbj2svfErOOAndeeTw8eRUSW6DuYwC4VwR-n0fL7W5t5JsR3zw7v1Q143AgDv8IjUBwAlv_l-woGieKG_6puME-FZMQu1hFi_QV4hEnmvTWHkHos1ssDgFX0cr3rf3w/s1600/14194348746_341701b284_b.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Man I missed this.</div>
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At mile 60 there was a gas station just off course. At first I was not going to stop, but decided that it would probably be a good idea. I picked up 2 red bulls, a powerade, a snickers, and some beef jerky. I ate the snickers and drank a red bull. Then drank half the powerade and poured the rest in one of my bottles. Back at it.</div>
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From there is was more rollers and the gravel seemed to get a little whiter. At some point we dipped into Iowa, I am guessing this is when I saw the Amish people, and then road along the border and then back into Minnesota. It was good to be home.</div>
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At mile 105 I crested a hill and saw a bunch of people. For a split second I thought I had caught a group, and then realized that I was back on the Almanzo course. I was feeling good at the time, but this lifted my spirits a bit more.</div>
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After riding for a couple minutes and passing a lot of people I began looking around and seeing the carnage. There people were 50 miles in and were suffering. People standing in the ditch on their cell phones calling their SAG wagon. People just laying in the ditch. At one point I think I saw a picnic (Can't be too sure) I felt bad for these people. I am sure that they trained very hard and were disappointed with their performance. I kept looking to see if there was someone that looked like they needed water or a gel, but no one had that look of complete distraught on their face.</div>
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It was shortly after this that the temporary crown that I had on my front tooth rattled off. It was pretty weird. I stopped and fished it out of my mouth, threw it in the frame bag and made sure that it went in deep and then continued on with a smile that contained a widdled down tooth. Not a good look.</div>
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Once we made the left onto the road that leads to Forestville State Park I started to feel like shit for the first time. I was about 118 miles in and getting exhausted. I pressed on knowing the park was not far ahead and that I could relax there. </div>
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Once I arrived I set my bike up against a fence, grabbed bother water bottles, a bar, and my hydration mix. I laid in the grass for probably 15 minutes just breathing deeply and moving every so often so that people would not stop and ask me if I was alright. After I felt I regained my composure I filled my water bottles and was off. </div>
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I took it very slow up the pavement as I wasn't quite all together and just wanted to get my legs feeling good again. The second half of the pavement climb after the bend I started to pick the pace up a bit and then when I hit the downhill on Maple road I was feeling good again. I approached the first big hill with caution, but the legs felt fine so I tried to push as hard as I could up that section of hills. </div>
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When I got to the creek crossing there were a lot of people sitting and taking their shoes and socks off. Having ridden with wet shoes at the Heck of the North and Ragnarok, I knew that wet shoes really meant nothing and that taking them off would be a waste of time.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hope this is still standing</td></tr>
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I climbed out of the quarry and it soon flattened out and I was feeling good enough. With 14 miles? to go I ran into Troy and Scott and rode with them for a couple miles until Scott got a flat and needed to swap it out. It was good to see them and talk to some people that I knew. </div>
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With about 8 miles to go came the suffer fest that is Oriole Road.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibu6KPAvyR8SsmadC3xZO5KxrkVr3COh5ffO9DjwVg-7kk1dk5jdxjtsOiagzV_ARQEho0tv1LoMdJSsTwiah46foHXVxicIbMcmkcI7k66qP5f40X3qPXvHlmglLjWR1QuGVag7si_oo/s1600/14217882035_333bd4c043_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibu6KPAvyR8SsmadC3xZO5KxrkVr3COh5ffO9DjwVg-7kk1dk5jdxjtsOiagzV_ARQEho0tv1LoMdJSsTwiah46foHXVxicIbMcmkcI7k66qP5f40X3qPXvHlmglLjWR1QuGVag7si_oo/s1600/14217882035_333bd4c043_b.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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For some reason there was a group of about 6 people standing at the bottom looking at their note cards. As I rode by I said "Unfortunately, this is the correct way." I have never made this climb. I have always walked part of it. I started out strong but after my tire slipped a couple times in loose dirt I said screw it and just walked and drank a red bull. It felt good to give me ass a break and use a different muscle group.</div>
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After that the last big climb was at the Masonic Park. This hill I have never walked. I was close last year, but after seeing Scott and Kyleen at the top I felt the peer pressure and stuck out the entire climb. This year my legs were feeling better and having some gears made all the difference. After that my spirits were high and with about 4 miles to go I gave it all I had. </div>
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As I made the left hand turn onto the paved path I knew for sure that I had made it. I don't usually get worked up about finishing these races, but I did shout out a couple "Fuck yes" as I saw the 500m sign.</div>
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At the Finish line there was Chris waiting to shake everyone's hand. Very classy. I told him how much I enjoyed the race and thanked him for putting it all together.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also, not me</td></tr>
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After I was done I was just exhausted and wanted to sit down. It felt so good.</div>
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The thing that made me the happiest all day was that our entire crew finished. Jose, Larry, Troy, Scott, and even Curt. It makes for a great day for all.</div>
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Afterwards we went and got some food at The Pizza Place and shared some of the days stories.</div>
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A huge thanks to Chris and the entire Skogen family for putting on such a great event. there's no other race that compares. Also, a big thanks to all of the volunteers and to the people out on the course cheering us all on.</div>
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I'll be back next year, but I'm going to scale back to the 100 for a bit.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back home, no worse for wear</td></tr>
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="405" scrolling="no" src="http://www.strava.com/activities/142416641/embed/39531c36fa23a7921f114d47c7797fcccc63eb7c" width="590"></iframe><br />
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<br />Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-13300376889158206362014-04-15T12:10:00.000-05:002014-04-18T08:59:59.934-05:00Gravel MusicI'm not going to get into what I personally like to listen to when out riding, but a post on the Heck of The North website about winning $100 (I guess that's just the costs of running a once free event) for an original gravel song that had some tag line in it got me thinking about what other songs were out there about gravel?<br />
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I'm sure there is mention of gravel in more songs, but I just searched by the criteria that it had to have 'gravel' in the song title.<br />
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I found many different varieties of music. Some bad, some not so great. But I do this for you, the 3 readers...<br />
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In 1st place by far is Wu-Tang Clan's Gravel Pit. This is the only song on this list that I would consider putting on my ipod. Enjoy it, it's all downhill from here.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:2tNmhDlMbwQZLxQtWMt2EU" width="300"></iframe><br />
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I don't even know why this song is called 'Gravel'. Maybe it's from a old bike riding Nintendo game where you were on a gravel course?<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:1XWvwDjtwFDneBnDlxtuq1" width="300"></iframe><br />
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This song has a few highlights. It starts out with the lyrics "I heard the sound of your bike" I was interested for a second, but it's just not my style. I'll give this song 2nd place.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:4v4ptIMHWD1Y1x4RHoi7Ew" width="300"></iframe><br />
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This takes the Hipster gravel song award. I can't really understand what they are saying though. I do dream sometimes that I lived closer to gravel roads, but that's about my only connection with this song.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:48b2sCZuZhufk3zDw5I2vd" width="300"></iframe><br />
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This song has some nice guitar riffs and I can relate to the lyrics 'I turn to gravel when I die' as I've felt like I was going to die out on the course, but I still keep turning on to the next gravel road.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:1Qw3yymMZbyxvrVuWUXlqB" width="300"></iframe><br />
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If I had to take a guess what the winning Heck of the North song will sound like, I'd guess this:<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:3LCr7EyYckO2jiufObF5po" width="300"></iframe><br />
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Here's a gravel song from the most famous artist on this list: Elvis. This is not his best work, but then again he probably didn't steal it from someone else.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:7IerhrnIt5ZfAMDMyskZsJ" width="300"></iframe><br />
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In 3rd place is this diddy. Not my style either, but I can appreciate it.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:4kFpVqdGvpFBHKkqptkWPD" width="300"></iframe><br />
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I was surprised that there were not more country songs, but then again, if there were they probably have no correolation to biking as it seems that 50% of the people you encounter are pissed they have to turn their F-350 wheel ever so slightly to get by you.<br />
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Did I miss a good song? Post it in the comments.<br />
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Good song recommended by Larry:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XpvDZu-GFSY?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<br />Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-12211106625772470762014-04-14T08:26:00.000-05:002014-04-14T08:26:12.278-05:002014 Ragnarok 105Let me start out by saying thanks to the Ragnarok crew for all that they do to prepare the course and the hours that they put in making sure everything goes off right. Also thanks to the Angry Catfish, Twin Six, and HED for sponsoring the race.<div>
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This was my 4th time riding the Ragnarok, and by far the hardest conditions. It was raining on the way to the race, it was raining at the start, and it rained till after the first checkpoint</div>
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The race started off at the normal slowish pace, but quickly escalated once we hit the first hill. Unlike the LML where I was near the lead pack for a good 8 miles, I was dropped after about 2. From there on out it was a solo ride.</div>
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I was wearing bib shorts with some rain pants and 2 base layer shirts, a cycling jersey, and a rain jacket. On my hands I just used my PI spring/fall running gloves. I was never cold, but I was almost always uncomfortable. My hands would go a bit numb and I would do the windmill move and they would come back. My feet went numb and I couldn't really feel them for a bit. They didn't hurt though. I thought maybe my feet swelled up (never happened before) and the shoes got too tight and cut off my circulation, but that was not the case.</div>
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I rode pretty well into checkpoint #1 and saw a lot of people people just hanging out. I took a couple sports legs and headed down the road. As I went past the BP I saw even more bikes out front. Weird. </div>
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The course stays flat for a bit so I took that time to recover and eat some food which proved a little difficult to do in the rain. </div>
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After a while I started fantasizing about all that the Lake City Kwik Trip would have to offer. At first I was thinking about some beef jerky and a powerade zero. Then it became beef jerky, powerade, and a red bull. As I was riding the pavement into LC I decided that I'd like a banana as well. I guess my mind was hungrier than my body because I only ate 3/4 of the banana, half the powerade (put the rest in my empty bottle) and put the red bull in frame bag. I attempted to eat the jerky, but I couldn't get it open. I then rolled into checkpoint #2 where Lisa kindly opened it for me. I took off right away and enjoined the flat 4-5 before the climbing started again.</div>
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Heath's Hill was extremely muddy. Props to anyone that cleaned it. I'm not sure if I could have ridden it on my MTB if it were 5 miles in.</div>
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Going up the long grind that is 335th I had my first "I feel like shit" moment. I got really warm and at one point almost puked, but I just kept going. What I think happened was that the temperatures were rising and there was no wind, so my outfit which kept me stable for so long, was now causing me to over heat. I zipped down the jacket and jersey and got some relief. </div>
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I rode well till the last climb on Lehrbach when the heat hit me again. This time I was forced to walk, ride, walk, ride. Not an ideal way to finish the last climb, but it is what it is. </div>
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I finished in 8 hours 26 minutes. 21 minutes slower than my personal best. Weather was a definite factor, but what can you do?</div>
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I felt good at the finish though. Exhausted but not out of it. I took all my wet gear off and sat in the car for about 15 minutes in just my bib shorts with the hot air blowing on me. </div>
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Overall I was very happy with how the day turned out. Hopefully I'll be back next year.</div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-48462588943681478692014-04-03T11:17:00.000-05:002014-04-03T11:17:07.994-05:00Eastway CX1.0 ReviewTo start, I call this bike "The Pikey." A co-worker says that all bikes need names and that I should give it an English name since it is from the UK. After going back and forth with some names and then asking a buddy who travels over there a couple times a year I decided on Pikey.<br />
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Pikey is defined as "A pejorative slang term used mainly in Britain to refer to people who are of the Traveller Community (Gypsy's)." So it kind of fits and I like the way it sounds.<br />
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Also this:<br />
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I've been able to put 50 miles on it this week and so far I am impressed.<br />
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I wasn't able to get it out right away because of all the snow and water everywhere and the last thing I wanted was to gunk up the drive train or take a spill on a brand new bike.<br />
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The first thing I noticed while riding it was how light it felt underneath me. I've been riding the Straggler so far this spring so this comes as no surprise. It also accelerates much faster.<br />
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The handlebars feel a bit twitchy with the 90mm stem that I put on it so I may swap out to a 100mm. In years past I have not had a lot of flexibility, but taking time at the gym has improved that and now I find myself naturally leaning forward more and am having to have my arms bent to hold me up, rather than a more straight (but relaxed) position. The bike came with a 110mm so I may try that out to see it I like it or if it is too long before I sell/buy a new one.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Might drop the stem a tad</td></tr>
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Having some time with the double taps I am getting more comfortable. I like the ease of up shifting, but I still need to get the hang of down shifting while climbing. It can be hard to be standing to climb, and then try to shift down at the same time. I also run into an issue with the front derailleur occasionally. There is something with the tapping that can throw it off so you can think that you are going to shift to the small front ring, but the derailleur doesn't move. Then you do the same thing and it shifts down. My first thought is user error. My second is that it is a triple ring shifter set up on a double so if it is clicked twice it thinks that it is in an even bigger ring. But probably user error.<br />
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My only real complaint so far is climbing. It just doesn't seem to handle well when out of the saddle. Once again I firstly point to my own fitness vs expectations and just not having a lot of time on the bike. Time will tell.<br />
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The BB7s have been superb. They stop quickly and even more important, they are quite. Silent. Nothing.<br />
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I am hoping to get in a few more rides on it before the Ragnarok, but with the impending weather who knows.<br />
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A couple bike related thoughts:<br />
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I saw a post about this gravel/dirt race in Florida. Now I wasn't at the start of gravel racing, but have been doing it for 4 years now and have seen a big change in peoples bikes/dress/prep here in MN. This picture from Florida reminds me of when I first started off in 2010.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Some of the 84 strong riders that took part in the event. (Image by S.Jose)" src="http://gravelgrindernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/FOUR-G-Grinder.jpg" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 guys had to hop a python, <br />
one says he thinks his rear wheel got him.</td></tr>
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This #30daysofbiking thing is going on for April and I am going to try and give it a real go, even if that means that some days I am just going to have to do a quick crit lap or a neighborhood tour. Either way, should be fun.<br />
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And finally, I got into the Chequamegon Fat Tire 40. It was the first time I entered the lottery. I was surprised because I NEVER win any game of chance of any type. The two times I got into Leadville I had to use LifeTime connections. That may be why I got in this year as well since I am already signed up for the Lutsen 99er. Whatever, I'll take it. I just hope that I can get a good gate assignment. I just don't want to feel like I am being held up by a mass of slower riders. Right now I am hoping for a 2h25m time or better. That would put me in the top 20 for my age group in last years race. Looking at a few names I recognized, I don't think it's a long shot.</div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-29092803248519686412014-04-01T09:32:00.001-05:002014-04-01T09:32:11.293-05:002014 LML<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Took a before shot, but the course was so clean <br />
there was no need for an after shot.</td></tr>
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The L-M-L (Lakeville - Milltown Cycles - Lakeville) race was this past weekend. I was a little nervous heading into it for many reasons. Weather being the #1 concern. I was also nervous since I'd only ridden 88 miles in 2014 up to race day. No trainers, no rollers, no spin class. All I have been doing is going to the gym about 4-5 days a week. So I had no idea on my level of bike fitness. 3rd was riding a new bike. Since my ultra trusty San Jose is out of commission indefinitely, I was riding the SS Straggler that I built up over the winter. Not having much time on it I didn't know what to expect.<br />
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The race started out fairly slowly and I was about 20 seconds off the lead group for the first 8 miles, then we hit a hill and I think the top guys decided to stop messing around and took off.<br />
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I continued to just ride my pace and slowly passed people here and there. Around mile 20 my hands were getting too sweaty and when I would stand to climb I felt like I didn't have a good grip on the handlebars so I stopped and took them off and switched over to the thin gloves.<br />
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From there I slowly caught people all the way in to Fairbault. However, my calves were feeling it and I had cramping in my right hamstring.<br />
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At Milltown Cycles I grabbed a couple donut holes and took a leak. I then grabbed the second set of directions and a piece of bacon and headed off.<br />
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There is a fair amount of climbing once back on the course and my legs were not quite ready for it yet. I slowly slogged up a few of the longer climbs and had to walk the hill to no where and a couple others. The 44x16 gearing was great for the flats, but no so much for the late climbs.<br />
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The rest of the time was me fighting off cramps and "powering through" to the finish.<br />
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I made a couple of first race of the year mistakes, I'll name a few... I didn't squeeze the air out of the water bladder when I filled it up so there was a lot of air in the hose. I didn't tighten the water bottle mount down tight enough and it rattled loose. I used too big of a water bottle so it was hard to get out from under the frame bag. My seat was a scant too high and I got some back of the knee pain. There were probably a couple other things that I messed up as well.<br />
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It was a great race and I am happy with my time. Thanks to Larry and all the volunteers for putting on a superb event to start the year.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZAeZ9oTSBqtDkTkzHB7NuqymkVi3-FCGtdh1NXSfDQ2zEuUzyzdjX8z-Mn86kgDlqhOwvF8YS32M4sS0fR4uP-tVQ5i3v1P4X6WPAk7ZhPtD3FgbUl9rZ-vQu_6Odgx2DdrBlHdsXEA/s1600/map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZAeZ9oTSBqtDkTkzHB7NuqymkVi3-FCGtdh1NXSfDQ2zEuUzyzdjX8z-Mn86kgDlqhOwvF8YS32M4sS0fR4uP-tVQ5i3v1P4X6WPAk7ZhPtD3FgbUl9rZ-vQu_6Odgx2DdrBlHdsXEA/s1600/map.JPG" height="625" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the spur to the east between Fairbault and Northfield. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk68rhX6RZtGNkMGOBWCQQLRokAqCT5puUiZSRPwKQE9E_Ml-CW4Q09OR6mfU1KXT7CxhQyfMOwVkhnB5Rn2ofo5NeulqjmexY-WjtxhBjSft0rxDeFQWtdUoKIM2Y7F4HuqQ6pR0BWTk/s1600/result.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk68rhX6RZtGNkMGOBWCQQLRokAqCT5puUiZSRPwKQE9E_Ml-CW4Q09OR6mfU1KXT7CxhQyfMOwVkhnB5Rn2ofo5NeulqjmexY-WjtxhBjSft0rxDeFQWtdUoKIM2Y7F4HuqQ6pR0BWTk/s1600/result.JPG" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't like how the moving time is highlighted and the actual time<br />
is stuck at the bottom. Should be the opposite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-1485684806216099232014-03-03T12:02:00.000-06:002014-03-03T12:02:03.271-06:00Back Underground<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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It has been a while since I was on a adventure ride so when D-Rider posted one up for Saturday morning I decided that I was going, even though I had been to this particular drain before.</div>
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We met at Hidden Falls part and made our way to the first drain. It was so cold outside. My face was frozen and my fingers were in great pain by the time we need to make our way down to the drain.</div>
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It was hard enough to get down to water level with all the snow, but doing it with a right hand that wasn't very functional made it worse. There came a point where I didn't feel safe continuing to descend while holding my bike, so I gave it a slight push and hoped that it would only slide for about 10 feet. It went about 30 and got a nice scrape on the seat tube. Not a big deal, that's why I have this bike. </div>
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My hands somehow got colder and since I knew I couldn't be any help to the other guys I headed straight to the drain that I knew would be much warmer. Once I came around the corner this is what I saw:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZJCG5OXM9sqDwXZlau5K_D-eKbF3LJcKJtIdXdZJ1axKZUUZGZQAFQKltFrfHdRwYIVYC3EBO2myWNn85qyYH8zGaTKIDATbJYNdDHWTda-7oS3-5FnfFYTFsd-H_xjWTQ1w0YuxxPI/s1600/blogger-image-986764003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZJCG5OXM9sqDwXZlau5K_D-eKbF3LJcKJtIdXdZJ1axKZUUZGZQAFQKltFrfHdRwYIVYC3EBO2myWNn85qyYH8zGaTKIDATbJYNdDHWTda-7oS3-5FnfFYTFsd-H_xjWTQ1w0YuxxPI/s1600/blogger-image-986764003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZJCG5OXM9sqDwXZlau5K_D-eKbF3LJcKJtIdXdZJ1axKZUUZGZQAFQKltFrfHdRwYIVYC3EBO2myWNn85qyYH8zGaTKIDATbJYNdDHWTda-7oS3-5FnfFYTFsd-H_xjWTQ1w0YuxxPI/s320/blogger-image-986764003.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrU71ujiJHgx0yg6RtTOCpy1KMjsELkKCSbimU_mSt19nnZyE19jzIlke8_XcdhmHgV_2G7GybYgk81crNpAsb7QpgkbUrdet6Vkp4hSyRsOdIm8byC2EHYgwmCZF_YgVhn_0dSzvAZlI/s1600/blogger-image-1035567412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrU71ujiJHgx0yg6RtTOCpy1KMjsELkKCSbimU_mSt19nnZyE19jzIlke8_XcdhmHgV_2G7GybYgk81crNpAsb7QpgkbUrdet6Vkp4hSyRsOdIm8byC2EHYgwmCZF_YgVhn_0dSzvAZlI/s320/blogger-image-1035567412.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Someone had dragged in some rocks so we used them to make the hole even bigger.</div>
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Once past the ice wall we saw these two guys guarding the drain. I have a feeling their not too picky about who they let pass by.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiurNpwsuZosekMKPLT9GGq5nw70ICjQiU_CCJlwgxnxd5H5dONj7tN3AKOmw4rsPs_qyYXQeevOKgnxvgIbRKdOY9SRd7WqAj0A4F_yWuD4sfdVuD4uX47tZjSjFYPxNl3fghyrmOdoUc/s1600/blogger-image-1540493298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiurNpwsuZosekMKPLT9GGq5nw70ICjQiU_CCJlwgxnxd5H5dONj7tN3AKOmw4rsPs_qyYXQeevOKgnxvgIbRKdOY9SRd7WqAj0A4F_yWuD4sfdVuD4uX47tZjSjFYPxNl3fghyrmOdoUc/s1600/blogger-image-1540493298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiurNpwsuZosekMKPLT9GGq5nw70ICjQiU_CCJlwgxnxd5H5dONj7tN3AKOmw4rsPs_qyYXQeevOKgnxvgIbRKdOY9SRd7WqAj0A4F_yWuD4sfdVuD4uX47tZjSjFYPxNl3fghyrmOdoUc/s320/blogger-image-1540493298.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9PKEic2LRb0xOtAXyNyZUSs4PKyTE_kP2di0jchUc0fn-brNRRwECfDmXy914wzwbsVp1MOX57r0Zrg9RF9sM0WHyNirFV_ILUuQCrapVG8irU7ciIi8mwTALTaX84MliFEs0EBSamk/s1600/blogger-image-795777206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9PKEic2LRb0xOtAXyNyZUSs4PKyTE_kP2di0jchUc0fn-brNRRwECfDmXy914wzwbsVp1MOX57r0Zrg9RF9sM0WHyNirFV_ILUuQCrapVG8irU7ciIi8mwTALTaX84MliFEs0EBSamk/s320/blogger-image-795777206.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This was one of the better paintings. The picture turned out alright I suppose.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWCjTLhUqsa6z0i-zf0Nte-91DJzuPo0jEE1DCHYbP7ztKFhW4X4LS7ehxe_PHvaMQAbjXVZAmYcQVr0MA89OzT5I3D4b3E3a7CUCHgFsitkpn7LBFLAH0A7bVGzMkvSbHhJd3oFbjtw/s1600/blogger-image--336117728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWCjTLhUqsa6z0i-zf0Nte-91DJzuPo0jEE1DCHYbP7ztKFhW4X4LS7ehxe_PHvaMQAbjXVZAmYcQVr0MA89OzT5I3D4b3E3a7CUCHgFsitkpn7LBFLAH0A7bVGzMkvSbHhJd3oFbjtw/s640/blogger-image--336117728.jpg" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnSbhsFRJ80SJtnRJdpbqIe_vciXAAKbNO7DU96FyGq0JtpZse5ULezllFN3GPJOV9b-o6IkKF5iPiLfwOybgEFIbGWp3Pg_aaBd7lqBnZI4hag0SuHOk7kTBIZQqItPN518Hv-4qzNE/s640/blogger-image--1643990548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnSbhsFRJ80SJtnRJdpbqIe_vciXAAKbNO7DU96FyGq0JtpZse5ULezllFN3GPJOV9b-o6IkKF5iPiLfwOybgEFIbGWp3Pg_aaBd7lqBnZI4hag0SuHOk7kTBIZQqItPN518Hv-4qzNE/s320/blogger-image--1643990548.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some water flowing down from up above</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyM_6oFQpXwU88Zs-AsaNRIGTERc7VJoCAYskmJyiZLff3DZCbYOKEiWXaMrKN6cRX-quEq-Mj6XG8le3B14mJkM7H3HYp_xElmyOlYHlhADSF5kED4_B9HqcFFqsAhARBTDmGT9eWiKo/s640/blogger-image--716085010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyM_6oFQpXwU88Zs-AsaNRIGTERc7VJoCAYskmJyiZLff3DZCbYOKEiWXaMrKN6cRX-quEq-Mj6XG8le3B14mJkM7H3HYp_xElmyOlYHlhADSF5kED4_B9HqcFFqsAhARBTDmGT9eWiKo/s320/blogger-image--716085010.jpg" width="240" /></div>
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<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLVhSNQd9yk5Zgq7zs4Sl425xG2MooL0stnrs0WEuzy_XOeKNVtaA620x3iMzAQE8UoHkjleAlzRENzndZ6h6zp98g6tVrn_0PTHli-8qea1cl3gOlO3nH5MtgnGNYpnkVfc-6Hze_h0/s320/blogger-image-1488785150.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTFLusbJUWMmc_WqNg6wVWsuUn_pc7bLyR51-590ypnbA4PJjHGl_WfdHPAc0DPsLAHBxGsMYisSKJ7nWUjpZ9Hg1aCuLVh8e8seTVMX1G6ffhC6un9yR228QzIUgLUtaJYcIgdnYRXI/s320/blogger-image--611891945.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was about 4 or 5 different paintings that looked similar to this one</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGpUIn7lN_syDitftNjhr9eVJWMiXbRqff2UPhC80tZs-xGw6f5RD_JIivPAL39_crmlTxV1NdSlOAtj6MOOLFJONXvzt4lzj06SGfUs9N7dpYURshbkIk6LzzB3R8ElVPPmSJzy_hF0/s320/blogger-image--1404730638.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There may be a fight to the death in here one day</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqBwemi47YgLZ8yIIcHWyx66NSpzfAwj9WGclYYh_ObcPdnQRq1Cwe1vNBNmgAlLMmUHQ3EKL_UuBDPteP4TyH0_DKa-_iKieoP2X_ojyxOpw7GNt5IIOlfmAu-iyVQaxbCaUobh9YJg/s320/blogger-image--2009605445.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't really know where we were, but this is surely not correct</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFjC1vYn69H992WTbe_dslrEOMR4XHjn_Fs705QdS19RNGOlH5h7ey53Nwi1_R7UWjoehdNECiaci35Yxf3zBqiQAFwP-XqSDyNt1HLatU3PF_qDEa-MbiOTCVipwnHFhfq5cDfRkzH0/s320/blogger-image--1240457021.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncle Sam? </td></tr>
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<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUiI1bpRrrAeMXOQDuABvjJnM6qRLdtt3TH0s3VcOiZRjXdp3ppkyytyqfg5RoCX_FnCmc3Xg4bTymbWHDVp9vOew-j7uzKDP8oTsT3ehcKgS4kh_wPhd-nPEP2iPi1U9aF1Yay6CQu24/s320/blogger-image-1526971868.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWMmy3xMKk3oKPjsLn3hHpnzN8AvIqa5IRDXeEJBa2SThQwD-J9C7qPEzL_caLS5IzuXnFnzvFhorO6JCo-7mpQppQiTrw-jmW_2s1O0Me3_zgD85PETdDyonI485D4Ex3qIFaOZZ7_U/s320/blogger-image--1534696685.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He looks unhappy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-Nnw5AHRO8vMYd820SDv-S9B-0U3v01WY6z2RdsVuHcAMair9ejYz1GzAgJfC4X9DKy6_Tuhk-sL-gDyhRVSiF9JshbVg2PdjR-LTe_YxH3s_V4BfXW-PTC-CAllU7nlE_N41FgzUJ8/s640/blogger-image--211861938.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someones Selfie</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGcJSCgJPWDx5RG_JDOQSvWdNvVhvOxZ1nujy43CSr1tkEPEscXitFzDMDze_pC9WRapLMZ32hIUzTy271zWJC5cJ1Nro0yzUzZWlk4wSXPxGRAzxgRrNxX6YqWvsYAkcAHMdUqiBjpQ/s1600/blogger-image-1454207922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGcJSCgJPWDx5RG_JDOQSvWdNvVhvOxZ1nujy43CSr1tkEPEscXitFzDMDze_pC9WRapLMZ32hIUzTy271zWJC5cJ1Nro0yzUzZWlk4wSXPxGRAzxgRrNxX6YqWvsYAkcAHMdUqiBjpQ/s320/blogger-image-1454207922.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJ_OorKDdGigTdhigt2h6sThALMLtA6ZRiQMfPKVJjU-suUoPmzs0uaa1ZFRT0I575govslxPCAGWK4fM-rUcocHiKbaupXv2E_vydKfhlDXq8scIYbJSYBn3YBqbvxulztbsMRwM6sM/s1600/blogger-image--848021364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJ_OorKDdGigTdhigt2h6sThALMLtA6ZRiQMfPKVJjU-suUoPmzs0uaa1ZFRT0I575govslxPCAGWK4fM-rUcocHiKbaupXv2E_vydKfhlDXq8scIYbJSYBn3YBqbvxulztbsMRwM6sM/s320/blogger-image--848021364.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very bottom of the helix</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNeWEXAHeMeZl0DCYrvuUvQFX2NXg093fukKeIrCquEPfC1KsDs_Xmb1_LvBQeRCN9q0zrQQH10NabfS0hayjRqk1KKH05cfOOIt24DNgx0Jzsr58eAHBVIEHCoWbLfrPFZoro8PWngQ/s1600/blogger-image--549100236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNeWEXAHeMeZl0DCYrvuUvQFX2NXg093fukKeIrCquEPfC1KsDs_Xmb1_LvBQeRCN9q0zrQQH10NabfS0hayjRqk1KKH05cfOOIt24DNgx0Jzsr58eAHBVIEHCoWbLfrPFZoro8PWngQ/s320/blogger-image--549100236.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a 10+ story climb we were close to street level. I tried to get a GPS signal, but was unable to.</td></tr>
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Getting back out was much easier. We rode along the river for a bit till we found a better exit point. We then headed to Chipotle for a nice lunch. We then headed back to the cars to head to another tunnel. I was short on time so I had to bail. It was a fun time and I look forward to exploring some new drains in the future.</div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-56212510363936627262014-02-27T14:26:00.001-06:002014-02-28T07:31:45.032-06:00I think this is enoughPeople like to joke that you can never have enough bikes. I am starting to disagree. At what point is it just excessive? I think I've reached that point. I feel as if I added one more bike that it would just be a waste. There's just no reason for it. In the past year I have gotten 3 new bikes. Two of these were replacements, but none the less I think I am at my limit.<br />
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However, I am very happy with the 3 bikes that I bought this year and I think that they will serve me well for years to come with maybe a small upgrade here or there.<br />
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The two bikes that I could be replaced are the Monocog and the Pugsley. I don't really see an immediate need though. The Pugsley is old and heavy and there are a lot of better option out there at this point, but the truth about it is that despite all that I have only had time to get out on it 5 times this year. Does that justify selling it and getting a new one? Hardly. I think that I'll get myself a new one when I can manage to get out at least twice a week for a winter.<br />
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I like the Monocog, but I just feel that I could be riding something much lighter. The bike has served me well and is great for family rides so even if I got a new SS MTB I dont think that I would sell it because it's actual worth to me is more than the $250-$300 that I could probably get for it.<br />
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The other issue with so many bikes is maintenance. I wish that I was better at it. I feel that I can get things 98% of the way there, but it never comes out perfect. I always end up erring on the side of caution and bringing it into the shop for a once over $$$.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-rpxrWuPDZYNf2lMOMLFLU6_guVV64XdS0yZYZp5TQMCkZee1HfTASAPq1Tv08UZh6ShgyMlXumjY4ymf8ceqp04PnOIcur81k5pFnNNMbLweHDRp4FM65WwWVjVHqx5FpdazCZ8cD8/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-rpxrWuPDZYNf2lMOMLFLU6_guVV64XdS0yZYZp5TQMCkZee1HfTASAPq1Tv08UZh6ShgyMlXumjY4ymf8ceqp04PnOIcur81k5pFnNNMbLweHDRp4FM65WwWVjVHqx5FpdazCZ8cD8/s1600/photo.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pikey</td></tr>
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Pictured above is the latest and greatest. Full carbon frame and fork. Rival everything. BB7 mechanicals.<br />
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Holding the frame without the wheels the bike is very light. I was surprised how light it felt. Once I added the wheels it was "heavier." That's OK though. I am sure they will be just fine. I'll upgrade them next year.</div>
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I have a Thomson X2 stem and a Masterpiece seat post on the way and I will be moving the seat over that is currently on the Pugs. I need to swap out the tires as well as the ones it came with are too aggressive for gravel/asphalt use. The stem will be 20mm shorter that what is currently on there and has a 10 degree rise to give it more of a gravel bike feel over a short cyclocross race feel. </div>
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If I had to pick one thing that I am not thrilled about it is that the frame says EASTWAY all over it. The one in blue looks cool, but I could do without the white and black ones. Maybe there's something that can be done. </div>
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I'm going to have to put my St. Croix Troy frame bag on this and see if it will work. My initial thought is that it will fit great.<br />
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*Quick Edit*</div>
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The frame bag fits perfectly. I held it up to the frame and I thought "No problem" Then I had a moment of doubt when I looked at the headtube. I didn't know if the straps would be long enough since the bike it was originally designed to go on had a much smaller diameter headtube. Once I started velcroing it on I saw that it wasn't going to be an issue. It looks great and fits nice and snug.</div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-85613887839162943322014-01-23T11:02:00.002-06:002014-01-23T11:02:53.634-06:00Straggler Build CompleteI finished up the Straggler build last night. I really like the way that it came out. I think that it is going to be a nice commuter bike and do just fine for training and some gravel road races. It also looks like a worthy replacement for the San Jose Pro, but time will tell.<br />
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Here are some shots and if you want to re-live the 6 week process that it took me to complete the bike check out this link: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2322752325431776919#editor/target=post;postID=2848241639921914363;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=1;src=postname" target="_blank">Straggler Build</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fizik bar tape and Jagwire brake cables</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">44t Surly Chainring, FSA SLK Carbon Crankset, 16t cog</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carbon Seatpost and Fizik Saddle From The San Jose</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Custom Painted Carbon Fork </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hayes CX-5 Disc Brakes</td></tr>
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<br />Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-28482416399219143632013-11-26T13:58:00.003-06:002014-01-23T10:53:29.874-06:00Surly Straggler Build *1/23 Update*<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Back in September I went to the Cottage Grove Bike Park and put down the winning bid on a certificate for a Surly frame.<br />
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I started looking at what they had online and there was nothing that fit exactly what I was looking for so I thought I might just get the Pacer and use it for riding around town.<br />
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Then I<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> saw this Straggler bike pop up on the Surly website. It met my 3 criteria:</span><br />
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1. Road bikish.<br />
2. Horizontal dropouts<br />
3. Disc brake compatible<br />
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Believe it or not this is a very difficult combo to find.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stock image</td></tr>
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So I emailed the Surly and got in touch with Tyler and let him know what size I wanted. From there the frame got delayed (for everyone) and things took longer than expected (It happens).<br />
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yesterday I got an email from Tyler that they would be sending me the frame. I jumped online and started ordering the bits and pieces that I would need to complete the bike and have it rolling. At present time I think all I need it a headset and to get the front wheel I have at home trued.<br />
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I'm going to post pictures of the frame, parts, and the build process as this will be the first bike that I have put together from start to finish and will post updates in this blog. I'll try and change the title when I add things, I'm not quite sure how it all works out yet.<br />
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Hopefully the bike arrives soon and I can get working on it.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">***11/30 Update***</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7-P8Gs7siEUdtZ2CT4-dVVAIi3iX49d65sGMeFirSZIJ9ehKLHYYeV9Gr9FxPVOkwvf1G8FMt3j63R0AV92YEVZGEJ5lxWqfD4vi7bO0E8GEVZl5ztkwQp-hTfvxqsMqNxBQN9xcXG4/s640/blogger-image--177865220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrJj6OJN2Kg8dGE7iYkSkJv2Qd6ndvt5yAiHzLidnv06sSdb1mtChU1g4wuA93f_Yu7Xfp_UiHBJLaI9wDpCpiMSguzFUxp5AUrro_fQtPm6bLN2sO0K9i5lLiZnRjrFJtTVTm9V6hFU/s640/blogger-image-1457173750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrJj6OJN2Kg8dGE7iYkSkJv2Qd6ndvt5yAiHzLidnv06sSdb1mtChU1g4wuA93f_Yu7Xfp_UiHBJLaI9wDpCpiMSguzFUxp5AUrro_fQtPm6bLN2sO0K9i5lLiZnRjrFJtTVTm9V6hFU/s640/blogger-image-1457173750.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrJj6OJN2Kg8dGE7iYkSkJv2Qd6ndvt5yAiHzLidnv06sSdb1mtChU1g4wuA93f_Yu7Xfp_UiHBJLaI9wDpCpiMSguzFUxp5AUrro_fQtPm6bLN2sO0K9i5lLiZnRjrFJtTVTm9V6hFU/s640/blogger-image-1457173750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIHkRwFZC2zwtKCdh-iAeD2Z-BTAyLoztCbKE0hNef-16b2JN73b0SDejE6rVvgiHzR9tUDXxKlIR6CNzQESKhmKHAqb48eYZgUfDtLgRdDlOf-PrMnX6o_cizHEGyFtcBgqvmggtUX8/s640/blogger-image-196187457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIHkRwFZC2zwtKCdh-iAeD2Z-BTAyLoztCbKE0hNef-16b2JN73b0SDejE6rVvgiHzR9tUDXxKlIR6CNzQESKhmKHAqb48eYZgUfDtLgRdDlOf-PrMnX6o_cizHEGyFtcBgqvmggtUX8/s640/blogger-image-196187457.jpg" /></a></div>
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Got in the remainder if the parts that I think I will need. Now just waiting for the frame. </div>
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I was at One on One today and saw a complete build in person. I don't care for the glitter dreams color and with black components the bike didn't look that great to me. </div>
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What did look great was this bike, as well as the price tag ($1550) however, no disc brakes and lower level components had me over it quickly. Still a great looking bike though. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuGHVYvE0HCLurgLWX2muQ1-sT5Na8000ROM7nvtGJDGzt79y20GkDr0QA9cxpafzVSHA2tGSa674ct79XwIVe7pIgbUXd_II5zImWD0jOXdI1JHzp8n8i8AfxaM0zfaYQK12jmjqahA/s640/blogger-image--343457325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuGHVYvE0HCLurgLWX2muQ1-sT5Na8000ROM7nvtGJDGzt79y20GkDr0QA9cxpafzVSHA2tGSa674ct79XwIVe7pIgbUXd_II5zImWD0jOXdI1JHzp8n8i8AfxaM0zfaYQK12jmjqahA/s400/blogger-image--343457325.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">***12/13 Update***</span></b></div>
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I had to send another email to Surly to see if the bike had shipped or what was going on and it seems like it got forgotten in the basement. Irregardless, less than 24 hours later the Straggler was delivered to my front door. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMGp3pC8-Bcv4D2PI4-Qs3KJoTHMxvJasNIAWWYhIfWZBZw8GSh7LWDUZ6bCs3-W1yjPf2fIL_FMakW1Kzqb6Fmv1TSZFBNstO4d6DgfpIeZCM7QjoXkIisK-p2EQqaQJWlXSqyWn8Aw/s640/blogger-image-2023261361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMGp3pC8-Bcv4D2PI4-Qs3KJoTHMxvJasNIAWWYhIfWZBZw8GSh7LWDUZ6bCs3-W1yjPf2fIL_FMakW1Kzqb6Fmv1TSZFBNstO4d6DgfpIeZCM7QjoXkIisK-p2EQqaQJWlXSqyWn8Aw/s400/blogger-image-2023261361.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I opened it up and found this beauty waiting inside:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIn2-zBKbxN4-LimkJA84VMXWt3rWwpKwjEXQitXijvoRCEVMElcBQ6b-TbVRje2v0Mqss1f8T_5lmyIpWmMQp4CY962GiFdSYFY7B7HJbGE3u5QiTSGGpMGdAvhJ-wAE-PXlkay8UsaY/s640/blogger-image--1616599989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIn2-zBKbxN4-LimkJA84VMXWt3rWwpKwjEXQitXijvoRCEVMElcBQ6b-TbVRje2v0Mqss1f8T_5lmyIpWmMQp4CY962GiFdSYFY7B7HJbGE3u5QiTSGGpMGdAvhJ-wAE-PXlkay8UsaY/s400/blogger-image--1616599989.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Shortly after opening it I had to get Cooper to hockey at West Side Arena, so after I dropped him off I went over to the Lowertown Bike Shop to have the headset installed. This is a volunteer shop and the guy working when I got there said he had never installed one before and that it would be a few days before someone could get to it. I'm not gonna lie, I'm nervous about the bike sitting there for a few days. It's nice to support places like this, but when it takes a while and there are volunteers going in and out of the store who knows what could happen to it. I might go pick it up after work and bring it somewhere else...</div>
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I almost forgot. I got a steal of a deal on ebay the other day. I picked up this lightly used carbon crankset and bottom bracket for $61.00. I'm sticking with the single speed build for this bike so I am going to ditch the current rings and get a new 48t to go on it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgAT4KXN3i4Jv8DWI-bJz-ock3JyYJ_JKrIDR9w0mfGh27XTRkDZEoQdaFOnytKwpk72H4sfyGMthBVnqT_vGPlJy1_z8nzOgvLWUtNCjZiO__7ws8aHLufB-ZUsfvm6WmTfyN4YbhUw/s640/blogger-image-252260595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgAT4KXN3i4Jv8DWI-bJz-ock3JyYJ_JKrIDR9w0mfGh27XTRkDZEoQdaFOnytKwpk72H4sfyGMthBVnqT_vGPlJy1_z8nzOgvLWUtNCjZiO__7ws8aHLufB-ZUsfvm6WmTfyN4YbhUw/s400/blogger-image-252260595.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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***12/31 Lame Update***<br />
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There has not been much going on towards the actual building up of the bike. I got the headset pressed in and then dropped off my front wheel for truing. They called me back and said that they were unable to get it true since it was so far out of whack. So I went online and got a decent set of 29er wheels for $125, about the same cost as getting a new rim, spoke, and having it built up. The one catch is that the front wheel is for a thru axle so I will have to buy an adapter for $21.<br />
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I am putting a carbon fork on the bike rather than the heavy steel one. The problem with that is it says "Bianchi" in large white letters on both sides. After inspecting it I could see that it is a sticker that is under clear coat. So I messaged a guy I know from high school because he works at an auto paint shop. He told be that he can strip, prime, and paint is for a bottle of Jameson. Done deal. I should be getting that back soon.<br />
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The only thing left that I think I need to buy is a single speed chain ring. The cranks have a 130 BCD so I will probably get a 48t. 48x16 is good for around town and 48x20 maybe if I ride some gravel, Maybe buy a 22t as well since it is cheaper than buying another chainring.<br />
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That is about it for now. Hopefully the next post will include a functioning bike.<br />
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***1/10 Update***<br />
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Almost a month into the build and it is almost complete. The new wheels are in and the 15mm through axles appears to be working great. I taped up the left bar, but still have to do the right. I thought that I would be good at it since I've probably taped a hockey stick 1000 times, but I wasn't the best. The wrap was always even and looked good, however I kept running out of tape. 4th times and charm and it looks good. I kind of messed up the ending though. Hopefully the second one goes better.<br />
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I also installed the brake cables. Not much to say about that.<br />
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For my birthday I got a new Surly 44t chainring. It is in the mail so that should be installed early next week. I think that the 44t will be more versatile than the 48t and I won't have to ever change it.<br />
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I also have a pair of bolt on skewers in the mail. I think that they make for a cleaner look than QR's.<br />
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I got the fork back from the paint shop, and it looks great. I think that it will really shine in the sun. In the picture it looks like an exact match, but if you look close there are some blue and silver flakes.<br />
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The stem is a little long so I will have to get that cut and have the star nut re-positioned.<br />
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I promise the next post will be a complete build...</div>
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By the way, the frame bag that Troy made for my San Jose Pro fits the Straggler nicely.<br />
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***1/23 Update***</div>
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The build is complete! Got all the parts together finally. Had to get the steer tube cut and install the new chainring. </div>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-34302349354880014222013-11-22T13:16:00.001-06:002013-11-22T13:16:18.739-06:00Deer Hunting 2013<br />
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This past weekend was the annual deer hunting trip. The weather was looking OK and I was excited for a day off of work and getting out in the woods.</div>
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We got up to the farm around 10:30 on Friday morning and I started putting together my Dad's new stand. After about a hour it was complete and we were hauling it down to the river.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to go up</td></tr>
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The stand went up pretty quickly and we were heading back to the house to get the other stands.<br />
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We drove over to the other side of the property to set up the two other stands and came across a bald eagle, falcon, and two ravens sitting on the side of the road staring down a flock of about 20 turkeys. I'm not sure how it all turned out.</div>
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After the stands were set up we went back to the house to get my gargantuan stand. It has a nice seat that can swivel 360 degrees and is very comfortable. This required 4 people to set up. So we had to wait for Roger and Matt to help us stand it up. </div>
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Saturday morning we got out of the house a little later than I would have liked, but oh well, I should have set my alarm. As I was walking to my stand I stirred up 2 does that were walking at the edge of the field, then as I was walking through the woods I scared up 2 more. 4 deer before I even got in the stand. I thought that I may have scared them all away for the rest of the weekend. Nope.</div>
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I got in the stand and took the strap off of my gun and sat down. Then a nice 6 point buck came strolling through. I quickly put the bullets in the gun and took aim. The deer was looking right at my and when I fired he hit the ground immediately and started flopping around like a fish. He then attempted to get back up but fell over again and didn't move. I sat thee for a second and made sure that I had clicked the safety back on when all of a sudden the deer got up and casually walked away. It all happened so fast I didn't know what to do. By the time I got my gun up he was out of sight. I got out of my stand and proceeded to look for him for the next two hours. Having not found him I returned to my stand to sulk. I say a few more does, but nothing worth shooting. </div>
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When I went in for lunch Matt had shot a deer and thought that it may have an extra bullet hole in it. Matt's stand is a good 1/2 mile from me and I thought there was no way the deer would make it that far, especially after crossing the river. I went to take a look at it and sure enough it was the deer that I had shot earlier. It had a hole just to the right of his windpipe and the bullet exited the back of his neck just above the shoulder.I couldn't believe it. One inch to the left and his windpipe is gone. Slightly steeper angle and his shoulder is toast. As it was, it was a flesh wound. Such is life.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My view for the weekend</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdORGejty84ViIVrp__xOH1GcbPP3KiL9xq0rQ67S9BmXt_j7mmY6RIsXxqbWSxt8Hxw8fKQptkeVWKcglwFC5jJ6lWrhw4iRhLT3VWmBFx6zc6vFXtu3KV3QCwMJM-3pGoTzEC-0vXI/s1600/blogger-image-1970857736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdORGejty84ViIVrp__xOH1GcbPP3KiL9xq0rQ67S9BmXt_j7mmY6RIsXxqbWSxt8Hxw8fKQptkeVWKcglwFC5jJ6lWrhw4iRhLT3VWmBFx6zc6vFXtu3KV3QCwMJM-3pGoTzEC-0vXI/s400/blogger-image-1970857736.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saw this when I was walking around the woods</td></tr>
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Saturday afternoon I saw maybe 6 more does. This seems to be the case every year. I see way more deer than anyone else, but bucks seem to not like the area. At about 4:30 I heard some shot from my Dad's stand. He shot this guy (pictured below) just before dark. I walked over to check it out while he went to get the 4 wheeler. Not the biggest deer ever shot, but it tastes good.<br />
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Sunday morning I got up a little earlier to try and give myself a little more time in the stand before the sun started coming up. I started seeing a few does here and there and could make out a few deer across the river but they were too far away for me to identify or shoot.</div>
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We ended up going 3 for 4. Nothing monstrous, but a nice haul.<br />
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Maybe next year will be my year.</div>
Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-71349300953471193452013-10-03T09:11:00.000-05:002013-10-03T09:11:53.706-05:00Orchard 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Once a year I give in and bring the family out to my favorite area to ride my bike. It was also Diana's birthday so, two birds one stone. I take the long way so they can see the rolling hills, the climbs, and the gravel(!). They love every second of it.</div>
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Then we get to the orchard and the excitement is immediately sucked out of me by having to pay $12 for the right to walk around and pick my own apples. As I walk through the door I ask the lady where the honey crisps are and she explains to me that since the honey crisps are a hybrid they require special care when picking and therefore they are only available for purchase in the store. This is more bullshit than the $12 fee. So we hop on the tractor and ride around for a few minutes until we get to the harlson's. </div>
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We start walking down the row and there are hardly any apples at first, but as we get in further there starts to be more and more. I snagged a few off the tree for sampling as the kids looked for the perfect apples.</div>
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They collected a few apples and then we decided to go look for the sweet 16. We never found them and were tired of walking so we just went to the playground for a bit where I had the privilege of listening to one parent drone on to another about how her parents were in therapy together for the past several years. Like candida, I hope I never have enough money to require therapy.</div>
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Soon it was time to feed the animals. They love the food and the attention. This is the highlight of the trip for me. There was a white llama that was getting pretty aggressive to get at the food and it scared Aurora enough that she refused to feed the donkey. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Albino pumpkins are scarier</td></tr>
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Every year when we look at the pumpkins I always make the statement "We should buy some of the giant pumpkin seeds online and grow two of them next year." Never happens. </div>
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I thought that it was a little early to get a pumpkin being that there is still 4 weeks before Halloween but every single pumpkin had already been cut off the vine. They probably know better than me. </div>
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Once back inside the kids began climbing all over this couch despite the sign in the upper right hand corner telling them not to. My first thought was to this classic Chappelle Show clip (NSFW):</div>
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We then made the dreaded trip to the checkout. We had maybe 12-15 apples. Most were smaller in size so that Aurora could bring them to school for lunch. The cashier said $8.54. With a straight face. Thank god that there is no Apple picking union because if picking your own apples costs $20.00 then I can't even fathom how much a bushel would cost that is shipped in from Pennsylvania.<br />
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Then we went out for sushi and topped it off with my first ever trip to Cherry Berry.<br />
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It was a good day for all of this, the kids had a good time, and I got to see my second favorite animal in the world.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(s)he remembered me</td></tr>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-46138845001511114522013-10-01T11:26:00.000-05:002013-10-01T14:47:28.739-05:00Heck of the North 2013<div style="text-align: center;">
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As the day of the race approached I became more and more preoccupied with the forecast. What would all the rain and possible mud do to my newish drivetrain kept running through my mind. I didn't want to have to shell out a lot of money to replace things for a race that is 100% about pride in finishing (Note, even if the race was for money I would not see any of it anyways) On Tuesday I brought the Pugsley out of it's summer slumber and put a new chain on it and made a few adjustments. Wednesday at work I thought there is no way I want to ride that thing for 104 miles. Thursday I prepped the single speed. My thought being that it would be very cheap to fix anything that was ruined. Friday at work I decided "fuck it, I want the best time I can possible get." That meant back to the original plan of 4 months ago and riding the Ti 29.<br />
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Diana and I woke up at 4:10am on Saturday morning and were on the road by 4:35. It was a three hour trip to the start point in Two Harbors and I wanted to make sure that I gave myself enough time to get there, settle in, double check everything and roll out. The traffic was good (nonexistent) and we got to the lot a little before 7:30.<br />
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The forecast had changed some and the weather was looking good for at least the first few hours. I was very happy to have a nice start to what I knew would eventually be a very tough day.<br />
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The race started off at and we were going down the snowmobile trail at about 18mph from where I started. I noticed there was more people than usual pulled off to the side early in the race with flats, and a lot of them happened to be wearing Ski Hut jerseys. I wonder if they had a bad batch of tubes? Things got a little congested at parts so I just sat back and enjoyed the scenery until we hit the open road. Shortly after a big paceline zoomed by me and I caught up with them and sat in/traded pulls for the next 11 or so miles. There was a good 2 mile stretch where I think we probably averaged 25mph.<br />
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From there it was a hard left back on to some really grass snowmobile trail. While the people with CX bike really struggled, The 29er got through just about everything. I was passing a lot of people and feeling good.<br />
From there it was a bunch of small climbs with long flats intermixed.<br />
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At the 3 hour mark it started to sprinkle and the closer we got to Duluth the harder it started coming down. Once we hit Lester Road pavement it was a downpour. My shoes started feeling soggy and I had to zip up my rain jacket. At the bottom of 7 Bridges Road the rain let up a bit and I knew that the 60 mile checkpoint would be coming up soon. It was a bit of a climb, but it was manageable. I kept hoping that there would be some place to get out of the rain at the checkpoint. I needed a mental break from it.<br />
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The checkpoint had all of our bags in the garage and a few pop up tents to stand under. Diana was there and offered up a little moral support. I swapped out my water bottles, put a Red Bull in my pocket along with some beef jerky and drank a bottle of water. Foolishly I didn't grab at least one more powerbar. It was about a 10 minute break and I was back on the road head for Two Harbors.<br />
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I started out feeling ok, but after about 20 minutes I was feeling pretty tired and shitty. I slowed my pace, ate an entire bar and downed some powerade and just kept the legs spinning. There is almost certainly going to be dark points in a 100 mile race, you just have to tell yourself that it will end and you will start feeling good again. The ability to do that is what separates the finishers from the DNFers.<br />
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With about 30 some miles to go there was little downhill and I put it in a big gear and pedaled hard. It felt good. I didn't feel tired anymore and my legs felt strong. I was moving at a good pace and was mentally feeling 100 times better. It was still raining, but I had just become accustomed to it. At the 80 mile point there were some great volunteers with water and coca-cola. I drank half a coke and was on my way.<br />
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I just kept going hard. At about the 90 mile mark we were back on the snowmobile trail. I once again passed about 6 people. It was a little muddy but nothing bad. When I got out of the trail there was maybe 8 miles left? I knew that the people I had passed were clearly faster on the roads than me so I would have to push pretty hard to keep in front of them. The final service road to the finish had a lot of puddles and rocks so I thought that would give me a bit of an advantage. I kept looking over my shoulder about every half mile to see if anyone was closing in. With 2 miles to go I saw someone about 300 yards back. I just started mashing the pedals as hard as I could and I never saw anyone again.<br />
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I finished in 7 hours 7 minutes. Good enough for 37th out of 200. I am pretty happy with that time. It was not an easy course. After the race I just tried to change and get warm as fast as possible.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my best look</td></tr>
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I wanted to stick around for a bit to watch other people come in, but with the cold and rain it wasn't going to happen. I am very pleased to report that everyone from our group finished.<br />
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It was a great time again this year and I am very happy to be a part of the race. Thanks to Jeremy and all of the volunteers for putting together a great event that is nothing like the other 100 mile gravel races. It is truly a unique course and a great way to cap off the end of the gravel racing season (for me).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not great either...</td></tr>
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-24159265935061389232013-09-03T10:54:00.000-05:002013-09-03T10:54:41.410-05:00Duluth Day<div style="text-align: left;">
I realized early last week that I would have Saturday all to myself. I had been wanting to take a day trip to Duluth to ride the Piedmont trail as well as check out the Spirit Mountain downhill runs.</div>
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Friday night I was getting really excited for the trip. I distinctly remember waking up in the middle of the night and wishing it was 6am. A quick phone check said 3:22am. Back to sleep. Soon it was 6 and I was brushing my teeth and getting ready to head out the door. Curt showed up on time with not one, but two fully rigid bikes for the trip. When your riding rocky trail and DH, only the best riders go rigid.</div>
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We hit the road and picked up Larry at 6:50 and headed toward Duluth.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PSI check</td></tr>
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Curt requested that we stop at Holiday for the first of his two breakfasts. He explained to us that he likes a donut right away in the morning and then a regular breakfast later on. Two hours later we were stopping at the first McD's in Duluth and Curt got the worst smelling hashbrown ever. I could smell the grease and it was making me nauseous. I don't know how he eats that stuff. <div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All rock</td></tr>
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<br />Around 9:30 we pulled into the Piedmont trail head and started on our ride. First impressions were that the trail had a lot of rocks. Small ones on the trail, and huge boulders to ride on. The only other trail in the mid-west that is similar would be Rock Lake in Cable.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
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The views along the trail were great. I am sure that a fall ride would expose even more views. The only "problem" was that you are too busy trying to ride over all the rocks to take it all in. </div>
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I made mention last week on FB how I am enjoying my new geared Ti 29er so much and am almost never riding my SS. That was my go to bike for the past two years and I promised it that I would never sell it, but it has been hanging up in the garage since a family ride. The down side to this is that I have no interest in breaking a $250 derailleur or carbon parts so I don't ride many skinnys anymore and now in the case of large rock drops, I'll walk down them for now...</div>
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This was a tricky line to get around the bigger drop. You had to go around the outside and there was a pretty significant drop if you fell to the left.</div>
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The rest of the trail was great. Admiral Rockbar was a very fun trail and I hope to make it back to this trail a lot more often.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11:15 is not too early for a beer</td></tr>
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Now it was time to head to Spirit Mountain. We stopped at Erbert's and Gerbert's for a quick bite and were at the ticket booth getting hit on by the cashier in no time. </div>
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We rode the Happy Camper trail first, then Candyland a few times, then Smorgasborg. It was fun, I got some air, and no one crashed. I thought DH was OK, but it's not something that I plan on getting in to. The lift ride kind of saps the excitement out of it for me. </div>
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Curt on the other hand found out that a Mukluk is not the best (or probably the 4th best) option for riding DH. He decided to show everyone who was there that day the a real mountain biker also rides his bike up the hill.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larry getting artistic</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: start;">This drop above has some real potential for some bad things to happen if someone comes in too hot.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small drop for me.</td></tr>
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Shortly before the above photo was taken Curt flatted out the front tire of his Mukluk. To all of our surprise, no one at the trail that day had a spare tube for him to borrow.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There you are Curt, didn't see you there.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The damage</td></tr>
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It was a fun day. If I did it all over again I think that I would ride two laps at Piedmont, then go over to Lester or Hartley. Then to Spirit Mountain for a few runs before heading home. A two day trip would be nice as well.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-53284677994288323772013-08-17T18:34:00.001-05:002013-08-17T18:34:58.204-05:00Mora Half<div><br></div><div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mqalaXWaLafcg-uEHhJuRHxT4TmW26mCc_B-LXEg1Dnf4yG51nHC3Bati512U5iZZ06rx3xxF95E7BkF9B27qZh1hbNXVXVVCjcnJUs54YGHoGgOzN-xqJXRyaBk0cSX1zRmhrXaVTc/s640/blogger-image--1988320394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mqalaXWaLafcg-uEHhJuRHxT4TmW26mCc_B-LXEg1Dnf4yG51nHC3Bati512U5iZZ06rx3xxF95E7BkF9B27qZh1hbNXVXVVCjcnJUs54YGHoGgOzN-xqJXRyaBk0cSX1zRmhrXaVTc/s640/blogger-image--1988320394.jpg"></a></div>Diana has been into running for a while and this spring we decided that we would run a half marathon. We looked at different races and ended up choosing the Mora half marathon. <div>Diana started running a lot more, 20-30 miles a week. I started running. I never ran more than 15 miles in a week and 8 miles was the longest run. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HzGebYxCYo6ZQNQbfZrhs0RVjZo0Qg9RJPckx1VKrrfYDFXoqslmZFI2ie5CQJxwFukwjnnv2wpLtLtB16dpRI_J4SypkidoVrYyi43jF8QEypBEV1xS9sqxlITU09IVksAPc8nMfJI/s640/blogger-image--879259837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HzGebYxCYo6ZQNQbfZrhs0RVjZo0Qg9RJPckx1VKrrfYDFXoqslmZFI2ie5CQJxwFukwjnnv2wpLtLtB16dpRI_J4SypkidoVrYyi43jF8QEypBEV1xS9sqxlITU09IVksAPc8nMfJI/s640/blogger-image--879259837.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBKxIBBB_4OtKW1nMXmt8FOIvkVY7v6gud-RHNESlrvuH76QhvZ4F4QdCCpiAAvDLFXeriG3KujlxisBh73S42MYzexCK0srI3pjgb0wN1PZJnyPVlYaoEJYRRppAGRUl0DWz4lfiFVU/s640/blogger-image-844505436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBKxIBBB_4OtKW1nMXmt8FOIvkVY7v6gud-RHNESlrvuH76QhvZ4F4QdCCpiAAvDLFXeriG3KujlxisBh73S42MYzexCK0srI3pjgb0wN1PZJnyPVlYaoEJYRRppAGRUl0DWz4lfiFVU/s640/blogger-image-844505436.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The race started fairly quickly and I was running at a faster pace than normal for the first 3 miles. After that I settled in to grind out the remaining 10 miles. I never walked except for briefly at a water station until I got to mile 10. From there I would run about 1/2 a mile and then walk for 10 seconds, I may have walked a bit more on the 12th mile...</div><div><br></div><div>Sensing the end I sped up my pace and crossed the finish line in 1 hour 50 minutes. I'm pretty happy with that time. I <i>really</i> wanted 1h45m or under, but not breaking 2 hours is great as well. Diana crossed the line at 2 hours 9 minutes. I'm really proud of her. She trained hard and was up the night before with a stomach ache (probably because I convinced her to go over to the neighbors for drinks and frozen pizza) </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>I really have no desire to continue running, but I think at some point I'm going to have to do the full 26.2. </div><div><br></div>Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-78933250261496915852013-08-16T14:40:00.000-05:002013-08-16T14:45:36.429-05:00Chicago<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Back in April Diana and I decided that we needed to find a nice weekend get a way for just the two of us. We decided that Chicago would be a fun place to go since it was somewhat far, but still very easy to get to.</div>
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We flew out last Friday in the early morning and took the train into the loop. </div>
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From there we stopped by the JW Marriott to have the bellhop hold our bags for the day and we were off to the tallest building in the world.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqN2s1ruRrs_Y87eRjFSKi7eUmbaMEpiIDyd3lLcdY8bsqgJiZzfLGyz8UJ_yE_8oyXjyzG6vU0xIP21n5KzrX-ErEXn6J9jpkqFPQtu9rtmiSOwnHZSwQ0Xdw8z5QbBxAjgzXnTsIQNQ/s1600/blogger-image-1805096441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqN2s1ruRrs_Y87eRjFSKi7eUmbaMEpiIDyd3lLcdY8bsqgJiZzfLGyz8UJ_yE_8oyXjyzG6vU0xIP21n5KzrX-ErEXn6J9jpkqFPQtu9rtmiSOwnHZSwQ0Xdw8z5QbBxAjgzXnTsIQNQ/s400/blogger-image-1805096441.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's still the Sears Tower to me dammit.</td></tr>
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To get to the top of this thing you have to go down an elevator, snake through a lobby area, get your picture taken, pay $18 each, snake through another area, watch a movie, and then wait in line again for the elevator. The elevator feels like it is moving very fast and you are at the 103rd floor in no time. After a quick calculation I found out that what I thought was "fast" was only 16mph.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJZxztq3Z8w1MU8zgDx9fzQpX3XbN9tZApTxjVJl0XFuA8FYgmpapxbxmtDCYSeiDs8aPKnr72sghkLp_-Nh3ITIcMw-FHhwkUm4o-MnAOCy-6KePs0TLxnIjrKvfNWnWBb0ZpkXy5as/s1600/blogger-image-1725697772.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJZxztq3Z8w1MU8zgDx9fzQpX3XbN9tZApTxjVJl0XFuA8FYgmpapxbxmtDCYSeiDs8aPKnr72sghkLp_-Nh3ITIcMw-FHhwkUm4o-MnAOCy-6KePs0TLxnIjrKvfNWnWBb0ZpkXy5as/s400/blogger-image-1725697772.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surprisingly there are only 3 floors</td></tr>
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Once at the top there were great views of all over the city. It was a gorgeous day and you could see for miles. The big attraction at the top are the 3 glass bottom rooms that put you right out over the sidewalk below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoyU1gG2mR7gi1vKSeTeDWD0aScGpZkJwbPrztPsA0xo9bJuCcAy8J3g2ufx5f9R58ZLvAP93OjtTSPJDvZ4zmkpo0ALnBUEJA_2_uGy7xJ1dG3Wnh_V5FpHdAIKkf9MGyXNwKs8t1R7U/s1600/blogger-image--62800289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoyU1gG2mR7gi1vKSeTeDWD0aScGpZkJwbPrztPsA0xo9bJuCcAy8J3g2ufx5f9R58ZLvAP93OjtTSPJDvZ4zmkpo0ALnBUEJA_2_uGy7xJ1dG3Wnh_V5FpHdAIKkf9MGyXNwKs8t1R7U/s400/blogger-image--62800289.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
For some reason I did this lame ass shuffle out onto the platform as if that was the safe way to do it.<br />
We tried to take some pictures with the city in the background by my photography skills can not compete with glass and a bright background.<br />
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Soon after we were back on earth and started walking around looking at some architecture and sculptures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSs9yeRx_4VT4niEXQ3vZVjo_4Lr_iL0haGKQ80MnQJYdLwNqzn1xSyYxhDkNZyKqKswwshE68ny3qmswmEAb12wuXbfQwCX5gaYG7VhmMZGpab1hbkea6aLQ28d6CDUGbNJj12jbUeY/s1600/blogger-image-705280259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSs9yeRx_4VT4niEXQ3vZVjo_4Lr_iL0haGKQ80MnQJYdLwNqzn1xSyYxhDkNZyKqKswwshE68ny3qmswmEAb12wuXbfQwCX5gaYG7VhmMZGpab1hbkea6aLQ28d6CDUGbNJj12jbUeY/s400/blogger-image-705280259.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Flamingo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMObxWXZWtimP6Ru0mSz-7amZEgYKdb-RYUGHFSQXWWU9SopkjR5Xo4y10L46LZmht7tBe94ZK6TfC7Q3xElbWCe6gL5uPRqTalupFT99QdJWljMo0OfHq9CHoYMHNMARMXNfzcZcKu4/s1600/blogger-image-1113518237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMObxWXZWtimP6Ru0mSz-7amZEgYKdb-RYUGHFSQXWWU9SopkjR5Xo4y10L46LZmht7tBe94ZK6TfC7Q3xElbWCe6gL5uPRqTalupFT99QdJWljMo0OfHq9CHoYMHNMARMXNfzcZcKu4/s400/blogger-image-1113518237.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picaso (My favorite)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0C7dxOL2NrcukMb05q9vvPlvjxSjJZ1nfoz07QZ8tIeO1Ax392smDRLgi8QsDyNXq1MnjkEIY0NW1jXTKhflKybgZMpWbbA-CXyYzUQ9tSHwkdZl2vFQBTlq1R9eQJvDr3QBCdJaf90/s1600/blogger-image--1322403536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0C7dxOL2NrcukMb05q9vvPlvjxSjJZ1nfoz07QZ8tIeO1Ax392smDRLgi8QsDyNXq1MnjkEIY0NW1jXTKhflKybgZMpWbbA-CXyYzUQ9tSHwkdZl2vFQBTlq1R9eQJvDr3QBCdJaf90/s400/blogger-image--1322403536.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These bulls are like St. Paul's Peanuts characters, only better.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKK2gxMjS8y3BFh6nxRFRXoVFMdg86Dur-VViT-4jzVCSZ6zKXUnpYCemgUz8OH7RX6vfIEILmpDBSku6OzxfclJUH1_5fi-c8fdI3k471-G_FXNzDtMIHNPbQewwDcRF6S4tY65Ip_yc/s1600/blogger-image--2097491602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKK2gxMjS8y3BFh6nxRFRXoVFMdg86Dur-VViT-4jzVCSZ6zKXUnpYCemgUz8OH7RX6vfIEILmpDBSku6OzxfclJUH1_5fi-c8fdI3k471-G_FXNzDtMIHNPbQewwDcRF6S4tY65Ip_yc/s400/blogger-image--2097491602.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cloud Gate</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7VIz_tsPB5a40R-o6xCWt2ERaFUR0gig14EcEzSsc1uj97L6eyWDMtwKUjDfTLstK3jHlNg60GQT_xFVREAOZLIMMOtfUHxeamIB7CEQ8F8nuc-rMr2_7NSBCxwOgMPQp1EJJ8qlzes/s1600/blogger-image-151984638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7VIz_tsPB5a40R-o6xCWt2ERaFUR0gig14EcEzSsc1uj97L6eyWDMtwKUjDfTLstK3jHlNg60GQT_xFVREAOZLIMMOtfUHxeamIB7CEQ8F8nuc-rMr2_7NSBCxwOgMPQp1EJJ8qlzes/s400/blogger-image-151984638.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art Institute of Chicago</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now seems like a good time to mention that Lolapalooza was going on in Grant Park that day as well. there were college kids everywhere. It was a real mess highlighted by not being able to see Buckingham Fountain because it was enclosed in the festival grounds. There was a Japanese couple that were standing at the entrance to the park to see the fountain as well and they kept looking down at the map and back up, as if they were somehow lost. Sadly, they were not, some young kids just wanted to listen to Nine Inch Nails.<br />
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After that we had lunch at the Sweetwater Grille, which was great and had an awesome beer selection. We were soon headed to Navy Pier to ride the ferris wheel and then headed back to the Marriott to collect our bags and wait for my friend Dave to pick us up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaTZU5ErDZj6C702Jyrvz6DC4xRLdhox4EhwB3gVUVLTRytXYKeOdTwEpc4j13SoiIAyaKu9ddtIf5TN59iYX5RIZYQP2FN5tX5WJ_N5wjn92qxu8oII-lgjMwYsc8Y0BxoSe5pVBjQ4/s1600/blogger-image--202494278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaTZU5ErDZj6C702Jyrvz6DC4xRLdhox4EhwB3gVUVLTRytXYKeOdTwEpc4j13SoiIAyaKu9ddtIf5TN59iYX5RIZYQP2FN5tX5WJ_N5wjn92qxu8oII-lgjMwYsc8Y0BxoSe5pVBjQ4/s400/blogger-image--202494278.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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We went to Giordano's for some Chicago deep dish and then over to Hugo's Frog Bar for a night cap.<br />
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Saturday morning we got up, had breakfast and headed back into the city to drop our stuff off at The Westin and head out for a little pre-gaming at Harry Carey's.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIyn2dINkiHWHlCbT5G8ia44FL9VH7WXfK6p8jFAAkYUTn-hMvY9a9CkGTJxB7ROnTRscX3NTcnSJUH9rWIlLDmE58ms4-IxCAjHKX-7-GvPxa9psGFLLmTSd8J4qciRjVxaOYETs-74/s1600/blogger-image-345302271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIyn2dINkiHWHlCbT5G8ia44FL9VH7WXfK6p8jFAAkYUTn-hMvY9a9CkGTJxB7ROnTRscX3NTcnSJUH9rWIlLDmE58ms4-IxCAjHKX-7-GvPxa9psGFLLmTSd8J4qciRjVxaOYETs-74/s400/blogger-image-345302271.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I don't remember a lot about Harry Carey and was not old enough to truly appreciate the way he broadcast games, but I just consider myself lucky to have watched enough Cubs games on WGN to get experience his work live.</div>
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Heading to Wrigley you could tell that there is a real culture or vibe on the north side when there is a home game. People out on their balconies drinking and socializing, streets closed down because bar patrons are spilling into the streets. It's the culture that we are told will develop if only we get a new stadium, and it hasn't...</div>
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Dave was able to get some great seats from work. We were right behind the visitor (Dodgers) dugout, 9 rows back. It is the way to watch baseball. I was most excited to get a chance to see Yasiel Puig play, and continue the great start to his career.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJHTDKNjffPWyzR7UOirG53A49SFGaLgw335UbzbqtZ0T9UJ3zV0ZW0FkSGNRg8-zYIHnHdNax1v9Y57zIyPUdvXfw-m19lY8ksZ2my7ui5BEXklT5EdT4hS3A6DFOxtLRb-Fgs5KTd0/s1600/blogger-image--1995006836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJHTDKNjffPWyzR7UOirG53A49SFGaLgw335UbzbqtZ0T9UJ3zV0ZW0FkSGNRg8-zYIHnHdNax1v9Y57zIyPUdvXfw-m19lY8ksZ2my7ui5BEXklT5EdT4hS3A6DFOxtLRb-Fgs5KTd0/s400/blogger-image--1995006836.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puig's first at bat</td></tr>
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It was never really much of a game. The Dodger's played well and the Cubs did not. Final score 3-0. I was really hoping for Puig to have a good game (which he did) and that the Cubs would be winning most of the game so that the fans were excited.<br />
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Quick tangent: The last time I was at Wrigley Field was 1998 in a game against the Phillies. Kerry Wood had just came on the scene and struck out 20 the game before, this was his first home game since and everyone was there early and excited. This was also first year that Sammy Sosa was really chasing the home run record. Well, long story short Sosa hit 2 home runs as the crowd went fucking nuts, and Wood struck out 11 and hit a home run himself as the Cubs won 9-4. It was the 3rd best game I've ever been to behind Game 1 of the 91 World Series and Game 163 of the 2009 season.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEL2pThJThxT8_xv1AMpnM1x8Rc-rsX0BRUDzXuxDQnJTPmnW6Jxsz5_nl57MSroesB2X8Wxt5x6DEqpYX6aQENkkOgpzMHKCSpNksfQrEG-EXmNgACSTUaf35KsiH3FkMGtFu-RDeNc/s1600/blogger-image-1886534791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEL2pThJThxT8_xv1AMpnM1x8Rc-rsX0BRUDzXuxDQnJTPmnW6Jxsz5_nl57MSroesB2X8Wxt5x6DEqpYX6aQENkkOgpzMHKCSpNksfQrEG-EXmNgACSTUaf35KsiH3FkMGtFu-RDeNc/s400/blogger-image-1886534791.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After the game we went out for sushi where I had a $9 Summit Saga (Low light of trip) and then went back to Navy Pier. Dave had a work function that he said he had to go to "Since I'm the boss." He tried to play it down a bit, but it was great to go. We went out on this Seadog boat that was supposed to go fast (it didn't) but was fun to be out on Lake Michigan regardless.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2T9gZHNvLv7KG4q__xv5nlKFIsi6t30kVoWMuj0gH_4xnhJkwP4__9C7AxIIHt-MGLwv1nr9Wh9TflkQxNujIZeW74_pTx9uU40Xf0ThrTfVbjOc2fs05pSagKam1BDby2y-jX9xTjw/s1600/blogger-image--1156964866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2T9gZHNvLv7KG4q__xv5nlKFIsi6t30kVoWMuj0gH_4xnhJkwP4__9C7AxIIHt-MGLwv1nr9Wh9TflkQxNujIZeW74_pTx9uU40Xf0ThrTfVbjOc2fs05pSagKam1BDby2y-jX9xTjw/s400/blogger-image--1156964866.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After cruising around for about 30 minutes we got to watch the fireworks from a great vantage point and then headed back to shore.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsfwhj9b3gevUj4R7im7GlVZkdMSzA9tv_l0w3eDZFZuigYs-ZHHc74HRLulN4TYQVjAOJNr23nPikFpnOVeYHSEvKdWgpa8vPQhp9Gbd_wHheWnta2xkkk7Rqz5v_f7-MpgG1Mr1Aok/s400/blogger-image-463668369.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once again my shitty photography</td></tr>
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Not wanting to end the night we planned to go to a place called "Howl at the Moon" it is a popular piano bar and looked like a lot of fun. When we arrived there was a line about a block long and people were complaining about the line not moving. We decided to abort that plan and head back near the hotel. We ended up at Harry Carey's again for a couple more rounds and then off to sleep.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqa711bUm8_k-g0b-FPTvRUsMfJQ2kDIHn-w0RfKUrumpWDSg-0zZAHDfTVHb7t-LvoXbkFXiXE7fqIr8fJ-a3xhJnkkapDcKV73rur1HRdwfexmUbiRtL87r4onyhHOlLoycJEqx58k/s640/blogger-image-1242581952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqa711bUm8_k-g0b-FPTvRUsMfJQ2kDIHn-w0RfKUrumpWDSg-0zZAHDfTVHb7t-LvoXbkFXiXE7fqIr8fJ-a3xhJnkkapDcKV73rur1HRdwfexmUbiRtL87r4onyhHOlLoycJEqx58k/s400/blogger-image-1242581952.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
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We flew back Sunday morning and were back at the house by noon. It was an awesome trip, that I still catch myself thinking about a couple weeks later.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiow6YlTDQDhV5Ofn5R1gfPgIn-9WkKjjep79kDIN7TrnSPfVRSgLmoUFLPAdtboW0CcSMsPFvrkiY2L6npyxPAuJvDaCJSjuUziz8pEm1dBJgjSDVv1MwtBwbKwwyCVy77rb4k0a1oF-k/s1600/blogger-image--1308258828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiow6YlTDQDhV5Ofn5R1gfPgIn-9WkKjjep79kDIN7TrnSPfVRSgLmoUFLPAdtboW0CcSMsPFvrkiY2L6npyxPAuJvDaCJSjuUziz8pEm1dBJgjSDVv1MwtBwbKwwyCVy77rb4k0a1oF-k/s400/blogger-image--1308258828.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'll be back</td></tr>
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<br />Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-37000960599081828372013-07-29T09:45:00.001-05:002013-07-29T09:45:17.630-05:00Lacrosse WeekThis past week was the final week of lacrosse and it saw us playing 7 games in 8 days and a practice.<br />
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The tournament was in Coon Rapids and games didn't start till 7pm so that everyone had a chance to make it there on time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojU0FCkca-wamZJMqlJAX-PC7K8nli5AeGBzfK854ML0az2qtMcOQUjmcfMGf1rmb7sFajf_DARxAbGr2VEGVIYw89I9gXZlU_hZvSnZiJEt2DqGV7VY1u8-c3sqJQ-fTiR5V5YGN42Q/s640/blogger-image-1654695825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojU0FCkca-wamZJMqlJAX-PC7K8nli5AeGBzfK854ML0az2qtMcOQUjmcfMGf1rmb7sFajf_DARxAbGr2VEGVIYw89I9gXZlU_hZvSnZiJEt2DqGV7VY1u8-c3sqJQ-fTiR5V5YGN42Q/s640/blogger-image-1654695825.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the best grass I've seen at a park.</td></tr>
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The first game we lost to Rosemount 2-1. They were a much better team than us, but the kids hung in there. There coach was also an extreme douche and almost got kicked out.<br />
Game 2 that night was a tie 1-1 and we "lost" based on goals scored to that point. This was a little fishy because we were playing the host team Coon Rapids, and they knew they had one more goal than us and the rule also changed the next day...<br />
Tuesday we played Chisago Lakes and beat them 3-0. Then we played Coon Rapids again and lost 4-1. They had a different kid on there team that must not have been there the night before and he dominated.<br />
Wednesday we played Chisago Lakes again and lost 2-1 in overtime. I felt we kind of got screwed by the refs, but the kids didn't play all that well either.<br />
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On Thursday we had practice and it was just a big water balloon fight,<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUq-Tr_GyqDv-hevVdzgnzrAkLhySLcpgRdkycKV_OOYY6G0NMv3kifoHzyaXowLGqTGrY39YNz5CSLFBspUb08pPUiCz_WcHiK-wXgfFXdwI9tmAVchI8S_X_XMuotjfyAnsXtgViIs/s640/blogger-image-1494277420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUq-Tr_GyqDv-hevVdzgnzrAkLhySLcpgRdkycKV_OOYY6G0NMv3kifoHzyaXowLGqTGrY39YNz5CSLFBspUb08pPUiCz_WcHiK-wXgfFXdwI9tmAVchI8S_X_XMuotjfyAnsXtgViIs/s640/blogger-image-1494277420.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgqn4kOkuRk2O-NaEPjrBi5GbBKwVf1OJD4-OwX7cP6CE7SQquMNH3SNtvTaUbkoRzKxWgLoqQBIyRblq8WJmSD20Hj-4U5-pRUR7bfhcKNFaWblbZU17vsE5GbApPgJ555nPoN572tI/s640/blogger-image--1722212136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgqn4kOkuRk2O-NaEPjrBi5GbBKwVf1OJD4-OwX7cP6CE7SQquMNH3SNtvTaUbkoRzKxWgLoqQBIyRblq8WJmSD20Hj-4U5-pRUR7bfhcKNFaWblbZU17vsE5GbApPgJ555nPoN572tI/s640/blogger-image--1722212136.jpg" /></a></div>
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Yesterday we played our final regular season game of the year against St. Paul. The kids seemed refreshed and came out fast. They were passing well and had a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Cooper had a nice goal but it was disallowed. I am sure people would have argued more, but we were up 6-0 at the time. The final score was 10-0. We passed better than ever before and it was good to see the ball moving.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JXSmjHIAdT05jIajctEfNdSCpd9kL4wEkozrE-MXcpH9qf6c01KU0L2mqstokkqRwet1rqJTb_2WHgObsxhoua78qlKI2mgIxcTaTjZGEKghihL5317RTysFkR3O-LlDQgA6GElL-Ak/s640/blogger-image-1038003374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JXSmjHIAdT05jIajctEfNdSCpd9kL4wEkozrE-MXcpH9qf6c01KU0L2mqstokkqRwet1rqJTb_2WHgObsxhoua78qlKI2mgIxcTaTjZGEKghihL5317RTysFkR3O-LlDQgA6GElL-Ak/s640/blogger-image-1038003374.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Intense</td></tr>
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It was a good season and Cooper had a lot of fun. I've said this several times, but lacrosse is so much more fun to watch than baseball. It's not even close.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzap0-uDmTGjN-HXUbrxx8s_6YXUm3RDKkfarsCIi6XseUew4_K2TTdZGQiz37kxQBjtIHRIbNdXRI7tRKGdKLARhDnO8dN80C-aDGO8rNgIRcK7qcDjbyUQFf898SpYrk6hyphenhyphenQNvjIaw/s640/blogger-image--421157269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzap0-uDmTGjN-HXUbrxx8s_6YXUm3RDKkfarsCIi6XseUew4_K2TTdZGQiz37kxQBjtIHRIbNdXRI7tRKGdKLARhDnO8dN80C-aDGO8rNgIRcK7qcDjbyUQFf898SpYrk6hyphenhyphenQNvjIaw/s640/blogger-image--421157269.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2013 Oakdale Lightning (U9)</td></tr>
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Next up: first year of tackle football and soccer for Rora.<br />
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Last saturday I got a Strava message from a guy (Wes) in Arizona. He said that he was coming up to the cities and wanted to ride at BC. He rented a bike from Erik's and met me at my house Friday afternoon. We rode 3/4 of BC and then over for a lap at Carver, and then back through BC. He was a good rider and we got it all in in about two hours. He loved the singletrack in the woods. It was much different for him compared to the desert.<br />
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Friday night was a bit chilly, but we had a little backyard camp fire and slept in the tent. Everyone made it all night without getting too cold and needing to go inside.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQHhl03Hlvgsy-qCsLPz3RAzjRt9vOMCPXbpuOG6x1hxRdatdzKj9RAfXvCKRPlyxCBNCc4lHMjfU1jx1CZtzuSt0-QhPDOGqqp1FWmgwRIiTQGiNZ4yek2pHk0o2AIPbU-MtAhIHmFU/s640/blogger-image--1527976841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQHhl03Hlvgsy-qCsLPz3RAzjRt9vOMCPXbpuOG6x1hxRdatdzKj9RAfXvCKRPlyxCBNCc4lHMjfU1jx1CZtzuSt0-QhPDOGqqp1FWmgwRIiTQGiNZ4yek2pHk0o2AIPbU-MtAhIHmFU/s640/blogger-image--1527976841.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuddling to stay warm</td></tr>
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I also attended the IMBA trail care school and did some trail work at the Bertram Chain of Lakes trail.</div>
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It was a fun filled weekend with very little down time.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNN8t0YojBil3T2M4mWXNK_GFDWKrVDkSjZHxmxTVr26lE4WIJDOcS8ZZhqilKNmvHZFgQ5YrGV2t9tKewuidLA4q0ifN1riwLTcVI1zVwdGU9J4hyUrpfnZ2-OKNl_dJ3OMlN7F-JDE8/s640/blogger-image-1968098553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNN8t0YojBil3T2M4mWXNK_GFDWKrVDkSjZHxmxTVr26lE4WIJDOcS8ZZhqilKNmvHZFgQ5YrGV2t9tKewuidLA4q0ifN1riwLTcVI1zVwdGU9J4hyUrpfnZ2-OKNl_dJ3OMlN7F-JDE8/s640/blogger-image-1968098553.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to go to Hudson for the lacrosse game so we stopped by <br />the Nova and got a growler of Toppling Goliath Golden Nugget</td></tr>
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<br />Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-22152893240026851472013-07-22T11:31:00.001-05:002013-07-22T11:31:21.527-05:00Work CommuteIt seems over the past two weeks the only real time I've spent on the bike is riding to work and back. It's an alright ride, but not having a road bike sucks. A lot. I can't get out for a quick 40 miles anymore and it is really starting to drag on me. I look at more and more bikes, but it's just not gonna happen in 2013. Hopefully in the spring I can pick something new up and get back to so fast paced rides.<br />
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With the hot weather MTB hasn't been at the top of my workout list. It gets so humid in the woods it feels like you can barely breathe, plus its slower and harder to get in higher mileage.<br />
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With that said I decided to go out to Whitetail Ridge on Saturday morning and ride a few laps. I sent out an email, but no one could make it. So I got there about 9:30 and hit the trails. On my 4th lap I was getting a little bored and decided that I would pack my stuff up and then ride BC, over to Carver for a couple laps and then back through BC. As I got to the car I saw a message from Don and gave him a call. He was on his way out to Whitetail so I decided to stick around and ride 2 more laps with him and Todd. The day ended up being 33.5 miles. I could have sworn that the laps were longer out there, but I guess not.<br />
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Sunday I woke up to a thunderstorm and I knew that since I don't have a road bike that I would not be biking today. I decided to do some long overdue yard work. Getting rid of overgrown weeds it not a fun thing to do. I need to come up with a plan to make sure that they don't come back.<br />
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Sunday night was Cooper's first of 7 lacrosse games in the next week. They passed much better than they have in the past and the scoreboard showed it. They won 6-1 and Cooper got his first goal of the season.<br />
I asked him why he didn't do the robot when he scored and he said that it would be embarrassing.<br />
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Sorry for no pictures :(Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-22526075942853395722013-07-15T10:23:00.000-05:002013-07-15T10:23:12.398-05:00It's TimeCooper and I have been out to Carver a few times and he has also done some trail work at Battle Creek, so I figured that it was time to take him out on the trails.<br />
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I started thinking of a route that minimized the hills and decided to ride up to the Rec Center trail head and take the usual route down across BC Road and then down the luge, from there we would go left and then ride to the Overlook and take the road back home. There's a few climbs in there but nothing that he can't handle.<br />
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We headed up the road and he quickly fell behind as usual even though I was going at a slow pace... I hollered at him to keep up, and when he did, he said that he wasn't pedaling because I wasn't pedaling. He's already a roadie I guess.<br />
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Once we got to the trail head I snapped this picture to commemorate his first ride of hopefully many at BC.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePa_Pg_CeKS0yz43hY7ubKtEgI5gWwtBRkR1ZULeEEzoapUEc1OMX11YsRHdhrOadZjp-ToacgVmHj1W5e6SnfyW2tKRZwNNuTjJXkEBQtjruSm_S8u7CtkD_JB8TQDTgTu73Ty5twok/s1600/photo+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePa_Pg_CeKS0yz43hY7ubKtEgI5gWwtBRkR1ZULeEEzoapUEc1OMX11YsRHdhrOadZjp-ToacgVmHj1W5e6SnfyW2tKRZwNNuTjJXkEBQtjruSm_S8u7CtkD_JB8TQDTgTu73Ty5twok/s320/photo+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good thing we didn't drive.</td></tr>
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The beginner trail went well and we were soon on our first climb. He took it like a champ and was pedaling hard and passed me by at one point. I was in shock that he wanted to ride in front of me and take the lead.<br />
Then we came on a few quick up and downs and he struggled with finding the right gear. I am always reminding him ahead of time that he may want to get in an easier gear, but he usually ignores my warnings and then struggles up the hills.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDXWkj-2q9mmHHHTh6QxuuHaWrQQKPHsCQ3rnCnU4nQTQO9NWlaZKOKgImKcEit2NXHnTTUMfYJ6iyyPPIVXZJtGvAWG7B5SFpVGEMfOKhxkhEEsQJXh_dMGWgJYYAhlNbeMy2sJtkXc/s1600/photo+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDXWkj-2q9mmHHHTh6QxuuHaWrQQKPHsCQ3rnCnU4nQTQO9NWlaZKOKgImKcEit2NXHnTTUMfYJ6iyyPPIVXZJtGvAWG7B5SFpVGEMfOKhxkhEEsQJXh_dMGWgJYYAhlNbeMy2sJtkXc/s320/photo+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Once we were at the top it was all smooth sailing down to BC Road. He had a little slip up on the entrance but he was back up and riding in no time.<br />
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We took the shortcut to the luge where I though he would have a blast. I let him go first so that I could watch him and see if anything went wrong. What I forgot is that even thought the luge is a downhill, you still have to carry some speed or you can find yourself in a bad position. I had to remind him to keep his speed after the 2nd turn. He made it down the rest of the trail and then took a spill right before the log skinny. I think that he didn't know if he should go straight or take a right and hit his front brake too hard. He was OK though. When I picked up his bike I noticed that the front brake cable noodle had come out of its housing. I tried to put it back in but it was bent too far apart and I couldn't bend it back with my fingers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJamPA2ve2OIaOrYV8VP2dDQaT2lFATjruS85ahPcgtaMcSVZ-noIuKQuih2LK7SKdLFoN1uqr0WJ6eq-T28dY0wYjx2NPQbABFWbNA0XjeyCY1rScV46XVlAbA_CTI04BgiyyjRaiMI/s1600/pinarello-graal-time-font-b-triathlon-b-font-tt-font-b-bike-b-font-TRP-front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJamPA2ve2OIaOrYV8VP2dDQaT2lFATjruS85ahPcgtaMcSVZ-noIuKQuih2LK7SKdLFoN1uqr0WJ6eq-T28dY0wYjx2NPQbABFWbNA0XjeyCY1rScV46XVlAbA_CTI04BgiyyjRaiMI/s320/pinarello-graal-time-font-b-triathlon-b-font-tt-font-b-bike-b-font-TRP-front.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
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Luckily we were close to the paved trail so I decided that it would be best if we just headed home. Since we didn't get our full ride in I told him that he had to go hard the entire way home and that I would follow him. He did pretty well averaging about 9-10 mph. He also got a chance to work on his shifting because when he rides with his friends, he never shifts.</div>
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When we got home he was exhausted but not so much so that he couldn't join his sister for a runs at the slip n slide. I think we got in about 3.5 miles which is a little short for him, but we'll get back out there and give it a shot again soon.</div>
<br />Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-76923219988641403632013-07-03T13:54:00.000-05:002013-07-03T13:54:14.089-05:00Back at the farm.Well, it was that time of year again. The time that I find a free day and go up to the farm to work on some things. This year it was putting some more screws in the roof of the shed, painting the shed, and putting a gutter up.<br />
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I decided to bring Cooper up so that he could get in on the fun as well. I try to make it up a couple times per year, and I've been trying to increase the ratio of "fun" to "work." There is a ton of things to do for fun, but I'm usually stuck crawling up on a roof.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoWZDWkBIcwH6M69Y_CTNpQlFgdk0pSC7wir-UYeBQB_fe6H4sYy_4b5oyK87qWphfbBgpB-nrykYjIv85SrFRhDD0t4Y2SV8mKCiM6Tobqq-odlvg_YCy-2lWPpcwHBtHSF8wmP0HJE/s640/blogger-image--484650466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoWZDWkBIcwH6M69Y_CTNpQlFgdk0pSC7wir-UYeBQB_fe6H4sYy_4b5oyK87qWphfbBgpB-nrykYjIv85SrFRhDD0t4Y2SV8mKCiM6Tobqq-odlvg_YCy-2lWPpcwHBtHSF8wmP0HJE/s640/blogger-image--484650466.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time riding by himself</td></tr>
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Cooper has been bugging me about shooting the BB gun for a while and since your not supposed to shoot it in the city and our backyard doesn't really have a good spot to shoot, he never gets a chance.<br />
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I talked to him about respecting guns and how powerful they are and the damage that they can cause, showed him the safety features and then left him to figure the rest out on his own. Not really, but he certainly wasn't interested in sharing it with me once he got it down. The barrel and the site were a little messed up, but once I got it dialed in we were plinking cans all over.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYD7fxnw_Xf6J7KO8-unMorKkqffVabcptQydM63h_CVP4cFgzVbGERqLdNIySPpPIQnne5NWKV4hGNVGv4YjhBTeBKNkv2R5v0mCTc12F37P3wKSR8UYTogGfsWAn5rWLqduryoXfcJk/s640/blogger-image-1133732364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYD7fxnw_Xf6J7KO8-unMorKkqffVabcptQydM63h_CVP4cFgzVbGERqLdNIySPpPIQnne5NWKV4hGNVGv4YjhBTeBKNkv2R5v0mCTc12F37P3wKSR8UYTogGfsWAn5rWLqduryoXfcJk/s640/blogger-image-1133732364.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the hip!</td></tr>
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This was the part of the day where we painted with a looming storm.... I was all for it because I knew that if it didn't get done that I would be back up there very soon. My sister was supposed to come up and paint, but she backed out at the last minute to make jam so I had to pick up the slack.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIUFlgkUzB1u8AxMrftOt9_sCNM8m49NZjLiNUiACm_VLMGw9yWzO4qn5nFpcHaBd1FgAb1hu-E4Wmzq7PsQBAqntjVqqaxi-KS5qADXJXssdAQ1UzxBCiu8sRg337nwUaPvCs8XBZCA/s640/blogger-image--2048227474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIUFlgkUzB1u8AxMrftOt9_sCNM8m49NZjLiNUiACm_VLMGw9yWzO4qn5nFpcHaBd1FgAb1hu-E4Wmzq7PsQBAqntjVqqaxi-KS5qADXJXssdAQ1UzxBCiu8sRg337nwUaPvCs8XBZCA/s640/blogger-image--2048227474.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandpa wears his pants looooow</td></tr>
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<br />It turned out pretty nice. The tractor has still not made its way from St. Paul to here yet, but it might some day!<br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUo8yK23Ug4oa-4HTcOSZJn9d0kFO1Lmvl6XSgKI27ExIZ4xojsEFIzBJ3SOGV5GUNP-Yl1d8hISS56bi65mrNj3uerAoybKKezoE0B8FITN1-kUcv4L8RNwZeF4POaQs4yTKNh5VcWh4/s640/blogger-image--1816559062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUo8yK23Ug4oa-4HTcOSZJn9d0kFO1Lmvl6XSgKI27ExIZ4xojsEFIzBJ3SOGV5GUNP-Yl1d8hISS56bi65mrNj3uerAoybKKezoE0B8FITN1-kUcv4L8RNwZeF4POaQs4yTKNh5VcWh4/s640/blogger-image--1816559062.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished product</td></tr>
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After painting was done and I doused myself in bug spray for the 30th time I went in the house to find this:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh579bWzSOEJaNSBjvRihLWK7ykH2jkRlhkAXGqY6lfG57T-QIgVkOARZ7Rab4Smg_mk9JzbpM0kHuUEYXk1DzMTB8MoK6cOB3UTpkpc5TUnBrETqkcQL2vi4Br0aAth6nQ1isfFpg2yO8/s640/blogger-image-328476801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh579bWzSOEJaNSBjvRihLWK7ykH2jkRlhkAXGqY6lfG57T-QIgVkOARZ7Rab4Smg_mk9JzbpM0kHuUEYXk1DzMTB8MoK6cOB3UTpkpc5TUnBrETqkcQL2vi4Br0aAth6nQ1isfFpg2yO8/s640/blogger-image-328476801.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He could have at least taken his shoes off</td></tr>
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<br />Once Cooper awoke from his slumber it was back to shooting at things.<br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZG7OaTV_hB4v51YSkmwUOEkmiVZmucJO_SCauOQ2OVGnW-eiUO5-r12ccCzO42OcsEbDHW-1ZQJpCgToBik7vpOd3aG0uE7ht-Uib1dhiT6aF5qF-bj57GMGYfDB2Sp2F9_3XOUd4NjM/s640/blogger-image-673387952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZG7OaTV_hB4v51YSkmwUOEkmiVZmucJO_SCauOQ2OVGnW-eiUO5-r12ccCzO42OcsEbDHW-1ZQJpCgToBik7vpOd3aG0uE7ht-Uib1dhiT6aF5qF-bj57GMGYfDB2Sp2F9_3XOUd4NjM/s640/blogger-image-673387952.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going for the kill...</td></tr>
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<br />I joke about having to go up there to just work, but it is a great place to hang out and do whatever. Hunting in the fall is always fun and most of all it is a great way to get four generations on family together.<br /><br />
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Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2322752325431776919.post-18957997282424653062013-06-22T18:30:00.001-05:002013-06-24T07:27:37.059-05:00Cheq 100...<div>
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With the bad weather predicted the Cheq 100 was rightfully canceled till September 21st. However, the weather turned out to be pretty good and we got a fair amount of riding in. Friday we road the second half of 38 Special and ojibwe. We finished it off with a climb to the top of the ski hill at Telemark followed by a celebratory beer. </div>
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Saturday we headed out and rode the other half of 38 Special which was one of the better trails that I have ever been on.<br />
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There are a lot of bermed twists and turns and very little pedaling. </div>
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After that we road some steep climbs that kicked up back out on the road. </div>
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From there we headed over to Seeley Pass and stopped at the OO trailhead. </div>
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We began heading back on Seeley Pass and then fire roads back to 38 Special and back to Telemark.<br />
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All in all it was about 30 miles and a great time!</div>
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I'm disappointed that there was no race, but I'm glad we got some riding in on the best trails in the Midwest. And that I was able to enjoy them. </div>
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<br />Bretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573974622434600510noreply@blogger.com1