Head in the Clouds

The principal reason I decided not to race today was that it didn't matter because according to the Root66 rules I need over 50% of the races to qualify for a series award and I won't have that. There are 14 races in the series and that means you need 8 races to qualify. If I were to be racing today and do the Landmine Classic I would only finish with 7 races. So it wouldn't matter anyway. So, there is always next year and now this gives me something even more to shoot for.

Today's weather patters look awful.

Reminds me of the Domnarski Farm Race:

One lap and totally sloppy

Good luck Gareth and Fabian!

Now we are on the good path!

Brodie and I went over to the Monroe Railtrail for trail-a-biking Saturday morning and we headed up to check out the new Newtown section.  Much to my chagrin it hasn't changed since the last time we visited this section, Katie and I rode to here in the spring only it was too wet to ride any further.  The Newtown Bee reported last week that this section was now open, the only difference between then and now is that the trail is much drier..  Hate to say this but if this was an Eagle Scout project, the Scout needs to get busted down to a Cub Scout and start over!  All that was done was cutting back growth.  Where's the gravel and the stone dust?  Trail braids have already formed around the we areas that are still wet.

Notice anything wrong with this sign?

Cool thing at the northern terminus of the trail is there is an actual turn around.

Love how the existing rails have been incorporated into trail

If you haven't figured it out already what's wrong with the sign, it's facing the wrong way!  My bike is pointed in the direction of travel coming down the trail to this point and it appears that one can easily pull the sign out of the ground and turn it around.  Also, I thought there would be more stuff blocking the trail to keep people from continuing north but that twig pile doesn't seem to be doing the job.

From here, Brodie and I headed all the way down to entrance to Wolfe Park, turned around and headed back to Pepper Street.  It was a nice 9 mile jaunt and riding the Stinson was a blast.  The extra weight from my son and the trail-a-bike made for a really nice workout.

Monster Cross Junior

While this bike really doesn't embody the edicts of being a true monster cross bike I thought it was cute none-the-less. My guess this bike is really a winter commuter. If you are not familiar with Monster Crosses here is where the they went wrong: tires and wheels are the wrong size, should be 700c or 29er. Granted the the smaller wheels definitely make it a Junior. Monster crossers don't have squishy forks. Lastly, and this is more of a personal opinion but the primary frame material for a Monster Cross bike is steel. Maybe Aluminum if you are running fixed but Carbon? No way.

The Friday Fix: This is not a "Fauxie"

As promised earlier this week I did see some actual fixed gear bikes in Chicago and this black, Fuji Classic is simply the best specimine!

Love the bar mod. The blue bars and grips go perfect with the black frame. Kind of like how the new Cane Creek headsets look. Also impressed that safety is a on the rider's mind with a little brake lever to slow things down if in a jam.

Monster Cross Commute

My Qball monster crosser was looking neglected when I returned from Wednesday's Bike Commute so I decided to ride it on Thursday.  It felt great to coast again and the Kenda Cross tires are really nice on the road, much better than actual 29er tires.  Of course, after Wednesday's ride all my road kit was pretty geschwitzed so I opted for mountain gear instead.

Still riding with the Timbuktu although it's problematic because it doesn't stay in one place and I have to keep adjusting it.  The trade off is a back pack and a sweaty back.  I might try using a waist strap on my next commute.

Nothing terribly inspiring at the Newtown Christian Church.  Some where near hear is a Tibetan Monastery, I wonder what spiritual guidance they profess.  I would imagine it might be something transcendental or zen like.

I did the long distance route today, in both directions for a total of 28 miles round trip.  I actually met another cycle commuter dressed in racing kit on a Cannondale.  I have seen this guy before along this stretch of Vail Road so I am not the only one doing this but probably the only riding fixed most times.

Qball looks nice in the office

Below is the route profile.  I think that if I am going to ride geared that I have to take the hilliest route.  That means I will have start riding Castle Hill

On Wednesday's commute I found this old gate post at a meadow on Old Bethel Road

On the way home I met up with Tom, who helped me build the Gussy Trail.

Wednesday's route
On a personal note, I am 19 miles shy of 1000 miles for the year.
500+ miles is mountain biking on trails
The rest is split up between commuting, riding greenways,
and some road riding that I did for the Bloomin Metric