Oct 26, 2006

You are so nice!!



The party/auction was a splash. At 7 I was pretty worried about the turn-out, but with about 25 people we started the bidding.
I never saw a war I liked until I saw my first bidding war. The fireworks were a sweet sound as people dualed for a coveted item until they paid beyond what it was worth. Sparks grew into fire as the drinks came to fuel the rabid bidders. In the end Topher and I raised $1056. After paying party costs and tipping our waiter, Anthony, we were able to donate $190 to Neighborhood Bike Works, and I walked away better able to afford my trip. It was great. Everyone came away with huge deals on great things.
Independent Fabrication team manager John Bruno and super cross racer Mo Bruno stayed with me and brought great IF items for the auction and were a huge help. Thanks to those folks. Plus Mo picked up UCI points for her top 5 finishes of the weekend.
Here are the people I need to thank..Forgive any forgetting,,

Independent Fabrication, for being the bomb
Theo, who owns Lourdes Greek Taverna
Trophy Bikes
Hidden Creek Sports
Bakery at the Mills
East Falls Fitness
Brunos
Johnny Mannanas
Stephanie Stago Massage
Joe at Breakaway bikes
Picnic
Intermezzo
CBOP Photo Lounge
Thompson
Hutchinson Tires
Topher
Clif nutrition
My sister and Kevin
Neighborhood Bike Works
My Mother
And Dad

Oct 21, 2006

Tonight is the nite!!


Are you coming? Hidden Creek Sports donated a BadA** waterproof backpack. I walk in and the owner Ann doesn't hesitate to offer up this MXTex back pack. I've never met this woman before, but her generosity was above and beyound. They have a neat and new store on Ridge Ave in East Falls. Their Clientel is mostly water sport folk but there are some items in there that cross over nicely into the biking world.
Breakaway fitness has ponied up two VO2 max tests to auction, Firehouse Bikes gave a custom tee-shirt and Manayunk Triumph was good enough to give a great Shirt for auction. It's the Scottsman moto club shirt. Wait till you see it.
Maybe it wasn't mentioned before but it is the Manayunk Diner and "Cocktail" lounge. The place has class and mixed drinks.

I'll be showing the velonews DVD "Crash", to scare potential roadies and turn them to the light.

Seee you there.

Oct 17, 2006

You want it..The List of things




The List..an incomplete one

bike stuff
$100 Gift cert to Trophy bikes
VO2 Max test from Breakaway Bikes
Truvativ Carbon Rouler Cyclo-Cross Cranks
Bontrager Race X carbon Mtb Bars
Shimano 105 brakes
Ultegra/Open Pro rear wheel
Pink Toe clips
Wool Jersey
105 9sp shifters (used)
Thompson stem or post coupon
FSA Carbon Seatpost, Stem
Thompson x4, 110mm, 31.8, 0degree stem
Boxes of Cliff bars
Kenda Pro deal on tires

gift certificates

Picnic Cafe
CBOP camera store
Bakery at the Mills
East Falls Fitness
Johnny Mannanas
Intermezzo Cafe and Lounge
Buckets
Tommy Gunns (tentative)
Dinner for 2 @ Lourdas Greek Taverna in Bryn Mar


things
1.5hr Massage from Stago Massage
Case of Victory Beer
IF hat and socks
Dirt Rag beanie
Costa Rican Dinner
Family Portrait
Topher’s Body

Auction/Fundraiser at Manayunk DInner



Party is Saturday Night the 21st, at the Manayunk Dinner on the corner of Main and Ridge next to the Movie theater. We'll be upstairs starting at 6pm and the auction will be at about 7:30-8. THey actually have decent food, so don't be afraid to eat while you are there, plus there is a bar.
I've gotten a lot more donated items and gift certificates, so it's not totaly bike-centric. Spread the word.. ALL strangers welcome.

Elk is the sasquatch. Last weekend we had an adventure in the woods of Michaux. Peris is Heath's baby monkey.

Oct 3, 2006

Party ON! October 21st. Specifics Later....


I'm having a party. It's a party first and a fundraiser second. The fundraiser to help me pay for the race across Costa RIca, La Ruta De Los Conquistadors. The fundraiser will be auction style, and don't worry it's not all bike stuff. Local companies are helping me out with gift certificates. Plus 20% of what I raise goes to Neighborhood Bike Works. That is a pretty cool program in Philly that does a lot of bicycle advocacy and after school programs. Check it out in the links to the left.
So far I've got Gift Certs from:
CBOP Camera on 19th and chestnut
The Bakery at the Mills, in East Falls
Picnic, next to Trophy Bikes on Walnut
Massage, from Stago Sports Massage
Intermezzo Cafe, also next to Trophy

And I've just started.
Bike stuff is piling up..
Carbon Cyclo-cross cranks,
Thompson Stem or Post gift cert,
Bontrageur Carbon MTN bar,
105 Brake Calipers
FSA 27.2 carbon Seatpost
FSA 31.8 110mm, -17 k-force stem
Thompson X-4 31.8 110mm stem
IF hat, socks
Dirt Rag Beanie
Wool Tete De Course, short sleeze jersey

I'll also auction off some weird things,
A meal cooked by me, I'm not bad!
An art print by my friend Eleanore Grosch at www.pushmepullyoudesign.com

I'm not sure where this party is going to be. I wanted to do it at a bowling alley but cost is prohibative. Just plan on Sat October 21st, between 6-9pm, so racers can come and go and others can stay as long as they like. I'll update as information is gathered. Flier invites will be passed out.

Oct 2, 2006

Yeah: That Hurts










For my peeps who don't know what cyclo-cross is....let me explain. Imagine you're being chased by three guys with clubs who are just a bit slower than you and intent on having a little ultra-violence fun for the night. They are slow enough to not catch you as long as you keep running as fast as possible, but you can't stop or rest or even lose them because they are always breathing over your shoulder. Do that for an hour.
I simulated this event twice this weekend. Hit myself in the face with my bike and definatly got caught. We ride around on road bikes with knobby tires through fields, sometimes we are forced to dismount and run up hills and over barriers. My lungs hurt. Actually my throat from breathing so hard. I imagine my wind pipe to look like the wind swept cliffs of the western deserts.
Ryan Leech and I left town in what was to be the last trip for his '84 Volvo 240 wagon. Rain on the horizon, and his girlfriend Camilla waiting in Brooklyn we crushed it to NYC. Traffic on the BQE was a giant slinky with Asian kids rocking out all around us. We made it, went our seperate ways and agreed to meet in the morning. Drew, Gabe and Mark were hanging out and we proceeded to have a wine and cheese party.
Gabe went home, but Drew, Griffey and I went to the place where kids our age go to die and stare at each other. Lots of bangs, tights, glittered trucker hats and one-offs. A drink and bad DJ set later I decided to go back to the Apt. and sleep.
I awoke to a gut feeling that something was wrong. Fortunatly I was wrong and when Mark woke we went with his girfriend Tina to the farmers market and Enids. After some rushing through breakfast to meet Ryan, he was late due to "Bad" traffic.
Afer my second coffee and a chat with a random bike builder, (they're like flies) they showed and we took off like flies, in the Guvn'r.
Oh the laughs were great, and the halcyon day was filling us and overflowing as the destination and excitment neared. Camilla is a photographer with a partner, Kate, in NYC. Have a look at their sight but don't fall in love because she's taken and will only break your hearts' desires.
At the race I met my cross super-star teammate "Mo" Bruno, and Team Director/Racer Bruno. They ARE! not married. Just a strange coincidence of names. We raced through some fields, across a rocky culvert, through some woods and back to the field. It was the fun kind of pain, but lasted an hour. Being a UCI race both days, made the competition supernatural. Payout was high so every bad-ass in the country showed up. I had no chance. Thats all right. 26th on Sat and 24th on Sun showed a steady improvement. By my calc's I only have to do 12 more races to get to a winning spot.
Now to the excitment. Sunday we go to leave and Ryan warns me that the rain from the night before may be causing a problem with his car. Okay, I'm used to this and is the reason I decided to stop driving. We load up and Ryan turns the key......It's sick. Electro-Shock Therapy helps breifly. Delusion returns and we try repressed memory therapy to induce some sort of reboot to a more innocent period before all the problems began. After many group sessions the Guvn'r was diagnosed an incurable lunatic and was admitted to the walled confines of a scrap yard. A very moving moment for us and we all reflected on the fine line we live between sanity and complete mental breakdown.
Reuben administered some post-tramatic consultation, and his firm grounding in reality got the rest of us through the toughest of times. Ryan felt the lose the most since he had invested 6 years in a dying cause, but he finally let go of his christ complex and refused to participate in another hopless resurection.
After a little sleep and rehabilitaion at the House of Ginny we made our way to a newly rented chariot on Monday and darted across Long Island to return Camilla to her duties. Driving on Ryan and I enjoyed a new freedom from the burden of the unpredictable actions of the feeble minded Guvn'r. I could tell an old noose had been loosened from his jugular, while a new one was simultaneously constructed in the corner of his mind in the shape of a new metal master.