Drawing is Done, I got stitches!

WHo's the IF frame and Fork Winner?
Kerry Combs: A very deserving and bad a** rider.
The Villin was taken home by Earl White! a long time philla courier! He seemed happy and it actually fits him.

Combing Death's Hair, and Raffle News

1. Push the crosswalk button.
2. Wait for the signal.
3. Make sure the cars have all stopped.
4. Start to cross.
5. Hear the distinct sound of locked up brakes.
6. In a split second, glance left, unclip one foot, and step back just enough to have the skidding truck only hit the rubber on the front wheel.
   
7. Watch the truck drive off.
   
8. Straighten the stem.
   
9. Go on my way.
   

That truck came around 5 or 6 cars, in a non-existant lane. All this in front of a major bus transfer station.
So watch yourself out there.

Yes, Raffle Time!! Some things have changed! I'm a little embarassed about the flier. I love the design, but the fact my name is so big makes me feel as if I've become an industrial logo. I didn't make it.
So what is it. Well, I have had problems finding a spot for the bike show-off. At one point a couple of weeks ago everything was falling into place perfectly, then it all kept falling straight to Mordorf. Then the day my world disappeared, my friend Rachel called to say she wanted to put on a messenger race, and charge the purchase of a Raffle Ticket as the entry fee.
Holy Heck!
That ruled, and best of all I have to do very little to prepare for it. Since I felt bad that there was a possibility that ally-catters wouldn't win the IF frame, and I hate to see disgruntled messengers, I called my friend Alexis Dold from Villin Cycles to see if he would be interested in donating a frame to the prize list for people at the A-Cat. Sure enough he was happy to pony up a sweet 55cm orange track frame. Thanks Alexis!
So you know, there will be some biking games and you don't have to race to be qualified for the days prizes. You can come, hangout, drink beer and buy a raffle ticket for the IF Frame and Fork and the other goodies.
Location is Lemon Hill. Across from the boat row houses in Philly.
Find and come on over!

Also,,,my friend Sam is having a raffle of her own this weekend at the Granogue race. She also has some great Independent Fab Stuff as well. Sam is a recent Cancer survivor, and boy is she pissed. So if you want a sticker that says "FUCK CANCER", or "CANCER SUCKS" or "Team Bury the Dragon" go to the above link. Proceeds go to HERA, an organiztion for fighting ovarian cancer. I like the Dragon sticker the best.
Do it now!

Michaux Maxxximus, New Blood

Between last weekend and this one, I'd say I'm over flunking out at the Cohutta. The UCI race at Greenbrier got me a 7th place finish and some very valuable UCI points for my 2008 Olympic bid. If it comes down to the wire I'll be auctioning them off later in the year. It also means I can go fast and short, instead of just long and steady.
Then this weekend was the first of the Michaux Endurance series. For those uninitiated, Michaux races are considered more agonizing than negotiating through the movie Brazil. Which I love and totally relate to at this moment in my life.
Speaking of another film I saw recently that we should all relate to,,check out Punishment Park. An oddly timely movie made in 1971, but could easily be updated to today. How come no one makes political commentary like this anymore? Here is a picture of a rainbow, in Granada, to balance out Punishment Park's angry angry image.
The Michaux race was a great 50 mile loop through the woods of upper Adams County, PA. I feel like I achieved something besides just a 2nd place finish. Mainly the knowledge that a racer I respect had enough respect for me to not attack from the gun and leave me gasping. At first I thought Mr. E was just giving me TV time at the front of the race but that might have not been the case. Whatever, a mark of success when I race a person like the E. is not if I beat him but by how little I get beaten by. THis time only ten minutes with a flat. That is improvment!
I felt great most of the day, and the guys at Gettysburg Bicycles, (Jess, Rich, Heath and all the moto folk) did a great job of pushing the race to a new level of difficulty, while at the same time making it welcoming for and enjoyable for the racers.
I was sort of worried about all the people I had talked into coming who had never been in Michaux. I just wanted them to have a good time, and in the end they all had big fat grins. Like dogs at a dump.
I managed to harrass enough people to sell a few Raffle Tickets after the race. I feel kind of weird going around and asking people to buy some. But I look at it like when I used to work for the newspaper. It's an opportunity to meet people, and see how their days went, when normally I just want to sit down and do nothing. To all those people I've met, Please forgive me if I forget a name or two. Actually If I remember 4 names out of the 20 new ones, I feel a little ahead of the game.

Snarling my way through life. 30 Franc fine.

The highlight of the last two race weekends was getting fined 30 francs by the UCI. Ahh coming of age.

Racing my bike. Greenbrier Last weekend and Michaux this one!

http://www.nbc25.com/content/fulltext/?cid=11484
That's an actual piece of cycling news coverage. I'm not in it which is fine, because who want's to see someone snarling at you on TV? Unless it's the WolfMan.
Credit to this guy who took these photos from The Greenbrier Challenge. Last year I thought I looked too calm so now I'm trying to improve my agro image.
We are in full swing on the racing front. This is what I've been waiting for all year. The story on getting fined? Big time pro UCI events require pre-registration. That requires thinking ahead. Not my favorite past time.
This guy is exceptional people. Topher!
Travis's post-wedding bachelor party/ Jim Thorpe bike ride crew.
If you can identify this and most of it's parts I'll send you something.

Churtle the Turtle is a New Trek Regional Rider and has no problem hanging with testosterone.

100miles, 29in, Foamhenge and Fear

COHUTTA 100
It's come and gone. Good riddence.
12th place was the result of my game plan. I knew it was different from my usual approach, but my early season legs wanted to go, go, go... and they went, at about mile 50. As people passed me, the looks on their faces told me what my my face looked like. At about mile 25 everything came back together and once again the looks of astonishment as I flew by told me how I was doing. To little to late. Next time Gadget.
And yes I finished putting together the new 29er on Friday. Holy sweet backwater. I've never ridden a bike like that. It weighs in right now at 23lbs and I still have some tricks to get the weight down another .5lbs or so. But besides being a featherweight, the thing rides beautifully. It loved the swooping trails of Georgia. I could whip it around like a fly-swatter and bury it in the corners. I'll post some pics later.
The drive down wasn't bad, 12hrs goes quick when the scenery changes from winter to spring in a day. Trees were thick with green fuzz. Virginia has a way of killing the spring. Between picking up Anti-Terrorist pamphlets and driving so close to Roanoke's VT tragedy, there were some sobering moments. It was a relief to hit North Carolina and Georgia where business signs promoting their two main products lightened the mood.
Tans and Videos
Fireworks and Beer.

This was on the side of a big rig

A major highlight of the return trip was the discovery of this cultural treasure. If you get off at exit 175 or 180 you'll find it. FoamHenge at the Natural Bridge exit.

Be sure to read the bottom to paragraphs.

Also on the return trip, we needed a break and saw a sign for Buck Bald. Thanks Buck!
It had a picnic table, a fire ring and a view to kill for.

Cohutta Ho! VillinCycles is a friend

Here we go again. I can't sleep but in 5hrs I'm supposed to be on the road with Elk.
This man Alexi Dold is a proper gentleman and FrameBuilder.

Fat Back, 3 Cat Shame and Dr. Noodleman

Scooters in Granada are the most popular type of transport. Makes a lot of sense to me but their exhaust fouls up the air.
Alley's were laid with stone, often in decorative patterns.
View of the Alahambra from the Plaza of Saint Nicolas.
Rainbows during the semana santa procession, gave me a moment of disbelief in my disbelief.

Back in the states and unless the two scales I've tried are wrong there is an extra 5lbs of me to love. I don't understand how that could be since eating in Spain was a crap shoot. Breakfast was insulting to the the "hungry man" plate at Denny's. The biggest meal I could find was two eggs fried with a couple pieces of tomato and some bread. But the fresh orange juice was a quencher and the coffee played the appetite supressor.
Lunch,..I can't really remember having lunch more that once. A piece of pork and some fries. Simple but that was one of the best meals we had. Oh and I visited the Kabab stands post rides most of the second week. Best kabab's ever, with cabage, tomatoes, carrotts, olives, beets and of course either chicken or falafal. Ruben had a problem with these, because of his sensitive stomach, he has a problem with a lot of things.
Dinners were either Moraccan or Spainish and were usually pretty good. Paella is the famous Spanish dish that basically seems like oil soaked rice cooked with the ingredients from a stir fry allready in it. It's good and filling but I don't get the hype around it.
So the XS faired well in the travels and has gone straight to the top of my list of road bikes. Never have I ridden anything like that bike. Smooth like manteca, quick as a whip at Catholic school and it read my mind like a jedi knight. If it was a camera it would be a Hassablad, or Linhoff.
Before I took it back to its original owner I had to race it one time, so I drove to NY for the Battenkill-Roubaix, with high hopes. Everything went as planned in the Cat 3s, the roads were conforming to the tubulars I stuck on and I actually played the patience game. On the last 1mile climb I launched my attack, pulled Carter and Peter along with me and at the top we only had about 4 miles to go with a decent gap behind. We worked well together and with about a mile to go I blew. Carter and Peter took 1-2 and I got swallowed by the pack. Next time Gadget, next time. Speaking of Inspector Gadget, has it ever occured to anyone that IG and Dr. Claw are metaphors for the cold war enemies of the USA and USSR? If you assume that the USA is the eventual victor then I'm basically saying that we are bumbling idiots, continuously saved by our 12yr old niece and her dog.
Oh and I got my new 29er frame Friday. I keep going back to it and running my fingers over the beautiful Ti welds.

Algo Mas?

I'm back. And the states don't seem quite the same. More Graffiti.
Balls

Politics

Exploratory Invasions/ Graffiti

Graffiti of Granada
There is a lot of it. Mostly the typical script style you can see almost anywhere.
I like the stencil pieces the best.
Granada has a very metropolitan feel. Lots of skinny people in black, tourists, pseudo punks,
semi-hippies, squaters, alternative lifestyle folk. If I was to be tested on what exactly it means to look
"euro"
I think I might pass. Highlights, faux-hawks, piercings. Hard to describe but easy to recognize.
We've Also ended up here during Semana Santa, a strange religious festival that people from all
over Europe travel to see. So from Monday and until next Sunday there will be processions in the streets. It's not really a parade, since only one group goes at a time, and there seems to be no singular moment that things happen. One group of Klansmen looking walkers, followed by a large float, carried by people and then that is followed
by a band playing music that switches between a slow funeral waltz to a slightly more jazzy beat.