Mark(ed)/ Red Devil

Maybe you realize this, maybe you don't--- Theory- everybody that rides a bike against other people for time is either marked or marking. To be a mark can be compliment, and it's also a scare tactic. To mark others makes your game faster, on flipside can make you hate your bike... What about those that are at top of game, who do they mark? I gotta ask #1 that question next time we are doing circles... For rest of us, it's just mark and be marked.

10+ years ago, when I took marks and racing more seriously/ more irritated, one of my marks was the Red Devil... You know the Red Devil? He was a 40+ racer and riding buddy that consistently made me and my team ricoh clan look like hacks (which we are still today)... Once in a blue moon we'd lure him out and collect points. Suck him into a trap and heckle. Even though Red Devil refused to wear LCR colors (yag- tonka cycles) what made him one of us is he'd fight back/ refuse let us get best of him/ look for the beatdown and a Moab burndown. Red Devil is still kicking, not racing, but remains a mark.

Time flies. Now I'm 40+ and some younger crowd looking to get past old guy, "don't get beat by that old guy, he don't look fast"... Just remember you can mark, but you'll be marked. ha.

Week of circles on the clock---
Thurs the work day leading up to Buck was good... Mental weardown was minimal. Good night to ride a bike... No other trails open, go ride Buck... The wetter the better... Smaller crowd, allowed the ("he don't look fast old guy") to crack top 10/ 7th. Went back and forth with Ed Alpasa, always a treat to trade blows with guys you been racing with for a dozen years... Seems like more 40+ crowd coming out this year, I'd bet it's fatherhood window opening up... Fun night on a bike, exert level was an 8 pushed up to 9...

Red Wing MNSCS on Sunday. Conditions perfect, 70's overcast, little rain for some slick... Warm up wasn't warm, not much time, 40+ back stiff, wanted to have a picnic instead. Line up laugh- some not local "pro" pushes through asking where do pros line up, like he's special coming from subru cup... Whatever dood. Wanted to practice a guillotine choke hold.

Off start, just sat in lookin to feel what legs were like... First lap hung out getting flow of race course. Trail route different this year, I bet it's the 30 minute lap requirement. Some fun stuff cut out at bottom, but we got ride a minute of DH trail... Wish I was behind RZ and him doubling those jumps... I just shook my head as I took sally lines, fear of a pop can and energy conserve...

Highlights- Lap1- just riding along at a level 7, Hollywood get cute tries to pimp me in corner, ended in sticks and wrong gear, heard chain popping, yell back "rookie move", never saw again. Climb up stairway, reminds me of Amaza Back/ Moab. Lap 2- after first time around/ warm up pick up pace to level 8-9, legs respond trail flow understood. Lap 3/4- Was able to push to level 9 with a bit of 10... Not often do I get any 10's, but when I do it's a treat... Push as hard as possible, recover, push again. Eye's bleed is the feeling. Was able to catch Matt Kurke/ ride with for duration, doesnt get cute/ pins the singletrack/ guns it when possible- good guy to ride with. Roch has some stronger riders/ team...

Finished off for 14th place... Legit 14th? Negative, who am I trying to fool/ quite a few were absent. But the 40+ crowd did represent in numbers... Made me think back 10+ years ago to the then OG's that smoked me, see Red Devil refrence above... I can only aspire to be old guy target nobody wants to get beat by... ARS Pro so his old guy status hidden...

THANKS TO MY HONEY for not only supporting me and my bottles but for taking on the better part of the LCR continegent bottles as well, and no panic attacks...     Good job Honey!!! Also to Chopper, Question Pete for coming out of hiding for a day of roasting me while I'm circlin...

Courtesy BEHIND BARS--- Results TBD. Alot of money to get jacks rock ring to fit.
Want to buy the XTR cranks (40-28T, 175MM) that came with bike? New, never used. Best offer.

TargetField-Shakopee-Afton-Hudson (Stage Race)

Who needs Subru Cup, Nat Valley, Tour day Swiss... I got my own personal stage race...

You've got yours too if you think about it... The stuff that's on the schedule, and then fit in a bike race... If that ain't stage racing I don't know what is. FGs of the world know what I'm talking...

Lookin back-
Friday highlight--- Pat Neshek (team ricoh candidate) pitching against his former team and surviving the inning. Hanging with Dawn/ Kids/ Uncle Paul/ Sean, 3rd base behind visitor dugout 12th row- courtesy Ames Construction.
Saturday- done in by the TEA CUP at valleyfair, don't fear tower of power or wild thing, but caution when it comes to spinning the wheel on the TEA CUP. Down. I was down after that. Out of medals. Jack and the Goat would be pleased seeing me green and down... 
Saturday (cont.)- Asked Dawn to marry me... I love her, she is the yang to my ying... PTL!!!

Sunday--- Afton is your friend (or I thought). Years of trailwork and helping with the race course brings no personal advantage, it's still a kick to the shin. Race was difficult, heat/ humid/ swamp... All good. First 3 laps  felt like I was dragging a plow on those stupid 29" wheels. Lap 4, after handful of endurolites and a carrot up ahead, shook off the funk and finished not getting cheated (even though no manhandler climb).

Then Hudson to celebrate Mom's (Lyn) birthday, Father's day (DeWayne) and some good fellowship with family (fiance Dawn shruken Hulk and Wonder Woman)... PTL x2!!!

Finished off night with a 1.15 hr lawn mow into darkness...

Jimmmay got the big point... on film no witness required.

SuperHeat Plug to Buck

This week the mental workout was 4 superheat plugs... Identified leaking during a hydro... Now what? Gasket replacement futile, no plugs this side of new jersey... Awesome. Then to Buck, I liked the start... Found the lowest spot in the sand to dig out of... Start was like kicking an ant farm up... Frenzy. Found a spot mid pack and just looked to know my role... End of lap one was feeling like my plug leaking boiler... Popped. No gas, just survive the hour and wish I had a second hour goal... Made a stupid move on the ski hill cross track, should have just sat up... Back and forth with Sandberg and SS COC guy... Honey and Jimmmay in fast corner barking, couldnt look or be eatin sand... Ha. Not sure what my number was in the end, but eyes bleeding goal was achieved.

RZ Worldwide Production- Photo by Jim

Next up... Afton is your friend...

Talk Jim into racing in Sun...

Wooley -> Eddie Podium

Eddie no flat. I repeat, Eddie no flat! Eddie Podium. Eddie 1st or 2nd in SS?, don't know, just saw him grin standing on log, he got a custom saddle for feat.

The unknown of new trail to race is a good riddle. No idea what comin at you til it's staring you in the face... The pros- new trail, new location, new people with the addiction. The cons- if not on game your in the sticks and in wrong gear.

Feeding off Thurs Buck comes a Wooley on Sat... Me and my Honey got a nice drive up WI side to arrive at St Croix Falls 45 min before start. Decided to go with camelback (2 lapper), but was told 3 7 mile laps, means late to switch back to bottles, who cares rt? A few familiar faces and some new faces as well... Grass loop prolog start, felt good, into school side singletrack thought I'd take it easy lap one and maintain pace but lead (Tungseth, Trek Maury, Sova, Anikin and others) group not out for a rec ride...

What... So my fun race turned into eyes a bleeding on lap one, couldn't hold the string, popped. Rode with Duluth Nicoli, seems he and I are about same pace right now (yo yo'd at Mankato). Impression of trail, some good rake and ride, nice section of rocks (like = Rock>Grass), grass field death march...

Laps 2 and 3 got into trail flow... Swoop single, dump to grass/ doubletrack/ pave sprint, back to single... Duluth Nicoli and I went back and forth for duration, he made move and stuck it to finish for 6th/ 7th place. Went with the hammer squeeze gel bottle, tweeked when full flow didn't occur. No delays allowed, back to disposables...

Hung out for nice social/ awards/ give away (grass roots hospitality was excellent...) then to St Croix Falls for a little shop and tweek waiting for food at Wine house... Tweeked hard. But laughed with Jacks adopted guy Dmac. 

Then home to chores and recovery 1.15 hr lawn mow...

Next up... More Buck if work allows, then Afton and a hill or three...

Give Jimmmmay a call...

Bluff Charge- Use to be hotter... + a Buck

The drive is a once a year or every other year deal... South to Mankato. Two things the same- the trail, and not much shade. Changed, the race was moved up in schedule... That means the july heat turns to june heat. Hot this year but not as hot as the year Pirate and I wanted to hide under the pirate ship...

Rode down with the Stairmaster (aka Cellular Cowboy aka Eddie). He show, I was ready to load his stuff in my car, he couldn't decode the reload, so he drives and I load. ha. POINT

Skip drive chronollgy, said above. First series race of year. Have to decipher all the pre race puzzles, plus add in a few tech tips... New riddles, eat an orange just prior. Pop salt pills http://www.hammernutrition.com/ just prior. More time for warm up (old man needs more time)...

At line, plenty of experts showed... Large field good, less time in no mans land. Off start was routine, up first hill, watchout for potholes. First lap was slow, rodies in the tech downhills were blocking- level 7. Lap 2 pushed and felt eyes bleed, pass more then passed me so plus, up to 8-9. Lap 3 sort of popped and recovered, back to 8. Lap 4 Weyrens (hat off) reeled me in and pass as I was pushing to pass a lapped Comp crashed and tweeked the shifters/ brake lever, stayed 8 tried to get to 9. Lap 5 game was forget about mechanicals brewing and just push forward, brain riddle kept me at 8...

Recap- Mankato is the same but different. Earlier in year means less heat. The 3 old school type downhills per lap were a treat. Roots, cupped trail, moon dust, and straight down fall line... Nice.

Hope this number of experts shows for season... Less no mans land, more carrots...

Hope Series gets there database straight. Beyond confusion when names aren't correct or missed. Believe or not little things like that keep people from showing...

+ a Buck-
This week same theme as last, only now it's a steam turbine base out of alignment. The turbine powers from steam and drives a rather large induction fan to properly keep boiler temps in check. Well years of vibration cause stuff to misalign, and thats no good. Good news this week is I have plenty of experts to keep me from messing up. Then to Buck, old man body feeling better of late, recovery from mankato was good, transfered into good push at buck... Had best start in years, on the ARS for a lap, then faded a bit, went down in a sand wash for the Sandberg to get me... Kept telling him to leave Comp alone, he belongs where he use to be back in the day...  Finished it up wanting 4 more laps... Was a 9 exert for 10th.

Still no pics. Hope to have fancy phone figured out to snap those on bike poses like the cool dot com riddlers do...

400# Steam Silencer then to Buck...

(got time on hands at mazda dealer) The test is a combo... Mental workout for 11 hours at employment, then turn off brain for an hour at Buck...

Ever heard of a 400# Steam Silencer before??? Neither had I, but in one day I have to become an expert... We are in midst of annual turnaround of one of our boilers... When you make excess steam you need to vent. Steam has a crap ton of energy. Think steam powered locomotives... Well when you vent you need to control the energy and attempt to deaden the noise... Well our noise and energy controller aka silencer is end of life... Meaning its junk. We need a new one... The thing is 30 years old and we don't have drawings to make good decisions... Thus the whole mess gets dropped in my lap... Yay.

Take that days worth of riddles and then shift to a Buck Hill. The test- Can I turn off brain from day of Silencer not silent, and push the body to level 8-10? No idea, and wasn't thrilled to try. But trying to be more strategic and data collection, learned from an ARS. I would rather of stayed at level 6 for 3 hours then 8-10 for an hour. But only way to improve on weakness is shake hands and wrestle...

Lineup for start has advantage to those that take it serious. I got in about 3rd row. Off start to first hill was about 30th, went to test climb, felt good- level 10, passed a bunch, brain turned off. Buck is about position, finding your spot then working up a few or down a few... I found spot at level 8, no idea where I sat. Goal was to stay at 8-9 and not get reeled in. Lap 2, started to lose level 8... Popped a gel, reminded self to turn off brain and regained 8. Lap 3- maintained 8 and passed 2. Lap 4- maintained 8 pushed to 9 passed that one guy (name?), he stayed on wheel, when lapping Cory Gross he said keep it up your in 9th... Naw? Better keep it up then. Well, up the tar, guy pimped me on inside move, then female lapped stalled us on downhill allowing another wheel to get on... Sprint to finish- made mistake of trying to shift and miss fired allowing wheel to pass. Came in squeezed my Favorite, she said I did great, I just grunted... Meaning test passed.

Decoding day of riddles... work stress/ no good diet prep/ no mo = turn brain off = level 8 + 9 = 11th

That Alaskian Ale was tasty... Wonder if Hobs ever drank it?

Mongo error- No pics of silencer... Think car muffler x200.

Cave phone end of life too... Got me a smart phone... Riddle on.