Logos....what is in a Logo?

While I love snow and the wonderful offseason snowboarding, I have recently found myself itching to hit the Rockies on two wheels (and not freeze). If I am not mistaking the phrase "I wanna ride my mountain bike in Crested Butte" escaped my mouth not once.....not twice but at least 4 times yesterday.

As I flipped through the pages of velonews.com today I was drawn to the upcoming mountain bike season (now I know some of you thought it might be the reports on Alberto Contador's new shades). So logos? I noticed that the BC Bike Race was advertising on Velonews.com and I started to think how BCC needed to throw our helmets into the ring of "team" mountain bike racing. So as we gaze into the upcoming tropical months and shed our snowy veils of winter......who wants to race a multi-day mountain bike stage race?

All of this because of winter cabin fever, a crazy bear logo and oh........I guess a love of mountain bikes too.

Real Vintage Steel

As promised I am putting up some clean images of the Bontrager CX. But before that, seeing the prompt was really for vintage steel I thought I would include some of the pre-CX rides. Enjoy

The original steel machine that made me feel faster than I really am was this Patterson Racing frame from the early days of wishing I was a BMX racer. It needs some love.

Much later I had an 88 Jamis Dakota. You know one of those steel 35lb bombers. Alas no photos I can find now of that one. After getting crushed on some climbs around Boone I went for aluminum (gasp!). After taking a daily pounding on the Pisgah trails I decided I needed to ride on the road some and this Corsa Extra frame came along. The Merckx was never in the best shape but has seem many miles. Today it is the faithful commuter and after work training bike.

Yes, the rumor is true. The Bontrager Race Lite frame does exist and was a shop purchase when I worked at GoPal bikes in Charlottesville. This frame is from 96. From what I understand the race and race lites were still being made in Santa Cruz while the privateer began production at Trek around this time. I have ridden this bike all over the US and it is real steel. Check out the slender rigid seat stays. Want more info go here http://ridesmarter.com/ and http://yojimg.net/bike/bontrager.php
This ride led to my recent search for a Bontrager CX frame. The BCC special teams cyclocross unit fed my appetite for racing cross. While the race lite was fun I had little chance to compete on 26" wheels. After reading this (http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2007/09/bontrager-talks-cx.html) I was on the lookout for another Bontrager. At the end of the NCCX series I was on the verge of buying a Bianchi when this one came along, thanks to TAZ from Atlanta. It has been as sweet as I could have imagined and just in time for the Winter Cup. It is definately vintage steel.

My ACTUAL New Rig for 2009

Privateering again for 2009......the actual REAL rig I'll be rolling on the Colorado trails on this season. Thanks Dr. 77 for all of your hype. (Note: Photos of the World's Greatest Hybrid are coming soon)

Major Loves Bikes

Pirate's good buddy and our faithful mascot......Major.

Blending the Sports

I think I might be on to something here........Winter X Games 2010?

Altitude Training

Off season training has reached new altitudes out here in Rocky Mountain Land. I am now convinced that snowboarding can hurt you severely for doing nothing and spectacular high speed spills yield no harm or injury. Hmm.

Vintage Steel

At least a couple of us are fans of steel bikes and for that reason, we're waiting to for Jay to deliver on the promised photos of his cleaned-up made-in-Santa-Cruz Bontranger. Rumor has it that he's also got a Bonty mountain bike like the one below, which will have to do for now.

Hollywood's New Whip

Snow Day/Snow Angel

When it snows, BCC shreds. RAD.

Now this is 'Cross

I wish I could say that I experience this first hand, or even that I'd been able to ride my bike of late, but neither is the case. Still, I offer you the most badass 'cross race on the east coast. ('Less'n ya know of sumpin' cooler.)

VIMBY - Bilenky Junk Yard Race

Kinda like Trashionals or Hurlds, but through a junkyard.

The other rollas

Tonight's forecasted low temperature will be 11 degrees Farenheit and tomorrow's highs won't push much beyond 20F. I know the Canadians among us are readying to celebrate the arrival of their spring with three hour road rides the next couple of days. But I'm soft like the center of a custard donut, so my bike riding will involve roller time. And in anticipation of the emails asking whether it's me: No. I haven't acquired sleeve tattoos. I'm not hip enough for that. Photo has been swiped from the interwebs.

Trade Rumors, Preseason Training and Such

Just wanted to answer some hard questions that have been blowing up the Bull City Rocky Mountain switchboard lately.

1) The Rock Racing Road deal seems to totally be off the table now.......but an invite from the Rock Racing/Quiksilver Snowboard team is hopefully in the works.
2) Winter training here at the Denver Camp has recently centered on Wedding Planning. Sadly negotiations with Dr. 77's wedding planning service firm seem to have fallen through.......leaving little on the bike training time.
3) Hollywood and the future Mrs. Hollywood are set to get married April 11, 2009 (in Denver).
4) Plans for Bull City's Colorado Summer MTB Escapade (not in an Escalade) are ready to begin. Come one....come all.

Details to follow

We set out for the 3rd race of the Winter cup series sans Linus who was down for the count with a cold. Chris and I were not sure what to expect from the course in Fayettville. I believe Chris would agree it was more demanding than we thought it might be. One of the more treacherous sections included a series of off-camber turns leading into a 180 with barriers just after the apex. The barriers had a drainage swale running through the middle and then a run up just after. I am not sure what was in that swale but you had to buckle up for fear of losing a boot and our ignorance of the liquid make up did not discourage us from willingly tromping through it on multiple occasions.

I took a good start in the CX4 race and ended up in front for most of the first lap. Unfortunately, I pulled a foot out of my pedal on a small uphill section and the guy I have finished behind in the last two races took over the lead and I could never catch him. I did hold off the third and fourth place riders to finish second. By the way, I am starting to wonder why Chris and Linus are always taking race photos of me competing with the juniors. Oh and here is a post race photo of the Bontrager. I will try and post some clean images later.

Chris took a good start in his group as well. There were some reports of a little bumping up a small hill on the first lap but it sounds like Chris muscled his way through it and rode with two guys until the last lap. Check out the barrier dismount. Chris only wished I had this shot when he wasn't getting dropped.

But a fifth place finish put him in the money and smiling depsite the mud on his sweet kit.

Pure Power

For you co2cycle

http://thepinhook.wordpress.com/

The picture I took one day while working on a bike with this sticker on it. 

riding little/blogging less

The holiday season always throws my riding schedule out of wack, and getting sick didn't help any. Not to mention the fact that upon my return to visit the family in Oregon, I discovered at least a foot of snow. A foot of snow is trouble in a place like the greater Portland-Metropolitan area, where the snowplow-to-fixter ratio is about 1:10,000. I didn't have a bike there, so it didn't matter. And since this blog is about cycling and not about trail running, I won't talk about trail running in the snow except for the point that trail running in the snow is fun and I should start a blog about it.

In any event, I'm mostly non-sick now ("non-sick" is different than "well"), so I've resumed bicycle riding and even racing, which I did this weekend with Jay, and which I will write about soon.

The other preview of a blog entry I'll throw you is my conversation with former pro cyclist/current anti-doping maverick/future possible Kid Rock entourage member, Matt DeCanio. I ran into him at a Christmas party and he is one interesting dude.

The other pre-Christmas party I attended was Emma H's birthday at the Pinhook. (The Pinhook is the new downtown bar and I realize that to the folks who have left Durham, there is something sobering and depressing about hearing about new bars that have opened up where old friends are now getting together to get alcohol.) The bar is the new de-facto hangout for local fixters. The event was also blogworthy due to the presence of some of the area's cycling luminaries including a bunch of dudes from Performance Bike's corporate offices and Gaynor, the former owner of the fabled Bull City Cycles (no relation to Bull City Cycling). Yes, once, there was another bike shop in Durham where now only Alivia's stands. Also, Emma's husband Pete (of Bobkestrut/cyclingnews.com fame) commissioned an awesome cake from Mad Hatter's Bakery featuring a deftly frosted picture of Tom Selleck. I don't have pictures, but it did make the Mad Hatter's hall of fame--they probably have a picture on file there.

Okay, so stay tuned for more crap.

Formerly the Performance Ride...

but still fast, ATMO. Jay, O. Gangster, the Professor, are out racing this weekend while I hung on for my first fast ride of the year. Humph.

Winter Cup: Cross Report; number: 1, (&) 2...

The NC Winter Cup is literally off to a running start. For real, I think I wound up running on Sunday about as much as I was in the saddle (before crashing out). The Saturday race in Salisbury had some decent weather and felt fast. The course was the same as the NCCX Series, a little more mud but it still felt familiar. Sunday on the other hand was a mess. Rain the night before had saturated the ground and the previous races had sliced the course up, turning it into a sticky mud pit. Fortunately, sticky mud pit equates to super-fun racing and it was also cool that the course went around SECCA (former NCSA grad what can I say?). That said, Jay rocked out both days finishing 3rd and 3rd. Way to go! I felt good and finished 11th on Sat. but lost it in the mud on Sun. and rolled an ankle on the second lap. Oh well, that's bike racing.

Hey! Pictures!


Sunday before the race. If you can't tell, I can barely contain myself.
The pictures don't give the mud credit, the back stretches through the woods were almost just as fast on foot as in the saddle.Upon seeing this one Jay said it best himself: "Hey, look at me! I took the 8 year old on the tiny hill." (the Juniors and CX4s race concurrently)


More to Come!

Happy New Year