Stinkin Hanger/ Buck MN Series

Couple days ago. JRA (in the rain), I like log skinny's, but I don't levitate. Rear end slides off log. Dreaded RD noise. Rain increases, so does noise. Stop and assess. Hanger tweeked. That's easy, I have spare at the parkin lot. In midst of on the fly/ in the rain hanger swap realize the 1MM hex head was stripped on install. What!?!

1mm hex. Seriously?

I don't get this hanger? For an MTB, why 1MM bolts?  This is an MTB hanger, not road. Dangit.

Buck MN Series today. Perfect day, 5 Miles from north iowa, I was due and got no excuse... Recovered from 10K? Not really.

Surely the longest 1:27 min race in some time. 6 laps, full throttle, nowhere to hide. Started strong, faded. Pretty much the opposite of what I typically do... MN SERIES RESULTS LINK

Johnson gets the point. Rode from home. Raced. Rode home.

Young Tim. What's that on the back of your helmet? ".... Larry..." What?

NOTE- Day 4 after my first 10K in 20 years was the worst. Had to resort to walking backwards down the stairs... Still feeling it in my left knee. But at race pace it's numb. I will race a 10K again this year, but I ain't training for it. Bring the run pain.

10K run, more hurt than 100 mile MTB race?

Cheq100 canceled. Go run my Honey's first 10K with Her then.

Fundraiser race for Children's cancer research http://www.childrenscancer.org/timetofly/. WORTHY.

Haven't ran more than 3 miles since I started mountain biking 20 years ago. Will it hurt tomorrow? Rigormortis already settin in...

No bars. Behind Shoes?

St. Paul Farmer's market, incredible local growers we have. "Herbman", Riddler from north iowa region. Wonder if he'd sponsor LCR?

I want one of them hats...

Up next... TBD. If I have to move backwards up and down stairs not sure I will make it to Red Wing MN MTB series race... Dangit, one of my favorite trails...

But.  Jack's challenge, completed.

3 blogs in a row... Way too much time on hands.

A soaked Cheq100 attempt

According to the Team Ricoh official rain total cherry bowl we got 4" of rain in 18 hours.

4" in the cherry bowl at Lake Namekagon SP CG

Came home not cheated though...

Jack got the gold, he out waited me to tap out.

and I still forgot the chammy butter.

MSP to SFO via walking. What? Check it...

Came across a local who got an idea to walk from Lakeville to San Francisco...
LINK- Seeing it Slowly dot com or see my riddler list on the side.

Similar theme to one 'Alexander Supertramp'. Wonder what Dick Pronneke would say?

The walk cause is commendable... My opinion, this feat would be way tougher than doing it via bicycle. Biking fun, walkin, not so much.

Cheq100... Peace of cake compared to walking for 5 months. Still got to finish though. And don't eat the berries.

Wet lube, check...

Chammy butter, check...

Salt pills, check...

Jack in, check... Race? Told him we might just hold hands instead, and collect points and in the end award the gold medal. Maybe we'll just have a presidential overtaking and make this the election since none of Team Ricoh bothers with the fat tire 40 these days.

Giant Sand Dune/ Shing Wako

This has got to be the largest sand dune east of Moab... Or at least this side of the real Iowa. The Warbird had not chance, even with the Ti.

sand pile so large can't fit into camera range.

A little cabin time with Dawn and the kids... Shing Wako, "White Pine" says the natives. Low profile resort on Lake Edwards (where QPete was hatched) 10 miles north of Brainerdt. What did Baxter do to get all the spotlight these days?

2 feisty large mouth bass and one slow carp

Rode all the stuff with redo's and backwards packing at Cuyuna. Minus Timbershaft, the most worthy trail is the Demo Trail. Don't let the name fool you. Biggest scree pile to ride, largest on trail rock fling, and a rock stacker that always seems to give me difficulty. One of them deals where I ride it until I clean it or something breaks.

Dawn took the kids to Paul Bunyan state trail for a jog and kid energy burn. Mixed results, jog accomplished, but a straight/ flat/ no turtles to save, led to a less than enthusiastic kid posse.

Had a family day on the Cuyuna trails too. A bit of something for all. Locals still don't take to bicycles and lacra all that well. My party of 4 learned not to stare the local Riddler in the eye when they are on their way into the liquor store. ha

Note- The roots are starting to get exposed through the red dirt. Don't kill the roots Cuyuna, don't kill the roots.

Do you have your wet lube packed for Cheq100?

Buck World + Cuyuna Race= Good times/ Square pedaling

A bit more intensity of late. Sub par, no excuses, just getting whupped. As long as no DNF, pleased. Get back to the feet for the next round.

Thurs, Buck World week #4. Unvailed the new LCR lacra. No bike culture here, LCR is jim-cultured.  Tri-flow and I are now tied 2-2. Next two weeks I'm out. TF, we may have to pick this back up after Cheq100. I'd say we could throw punch's there, but I'm not running no fat for that.

BUCK HILL RACE RESULTS LINK

Dales Pale Ale. Would you consider sponsoring this elite group?

3 Dales, 2 J's, 1 Ed, no Larry. Where is the Piratt?

 

[abbreviate version. Do you like long winded race recaps?]

• Saturday Cuyuna MTB fest. Jeff 'Moto' or 'Strava' Young and I with a quick trip nort to partake. 
• Moto Young is part of the elite squad of LCR rookie recruits for 2013. 
• Race course was basically Mahnomen + connector double track. Expected around 2+ hours and 3 laps, got 1 hour 43 and 2 laps. Even with square pedaling and losing places I wanted a third lap. We made up for it with more biking in Yawkey and Portsmoth.  
• 100+ racers, something like 30 elite, with a good crop of fast guys to keep pace. Of note, Mr Jay Richards geared up and towed the line. Very pleased, a day will come and he'll be ringing it again.
• Off start 2 mi of 2 track, funneled into single, dumped out, sprint speed, part of group misses turn back in, we didn't. That summed up race for the winner (LCR Moto Young). He drilled it for 2 laps, I worked up to 2nd spot then faded 6th. Various recaps had the split group ( T Miller, Richards, Richards, Basco Brothers, Hackensack, Martens) with 1-2 min lost. At beginning of race that shouldn't factor much. Moto Young victory legit. The guy bikes like he crushes rock. 
• Of note- great job making experts take the b line technical traps. Cuyuna Nick witnessed Moto Young tipping over on a skinny while in the lead. That is LCR. No conservative running with your bike, you ride it or you fail. You get up, dust off, try again. Young Basco Brothers caught me with a crappy flop in one of the traps on their way to taking 3-4th spots. Anikin and I worked off each other, he had more in the end. Most impressive was Joe Kjeer, he kicked me off his wheel when he went by me for 2nd place.
• Thank you Cuyuna MTB Club, may I have another... 
• Good day on the bike getting a spray tan and a whuppin at Cuyuna. 

1 tank. 2 medals. 1 legit first. 1 warm fuzzy. 

Up next: Cheq100. Looming fear. I've been spinning squares without the distance. Will have to rely on a strong back and tuned out mind to get me thru. That and might need the rest of that bottle of Rock N Roll wet lube that saved me last year.

Note- All you 250 people that were quick to jump in and sign up on the interweb. This isn't anything like the fat tire 40. Pack a lunch. And some wet lube.  

Sat Mulch, Sun Mankato

Who needs to preride Mankato when you have a driveway full of this to be moved... Plus, I really hate saving it for race day.

Sat, rest day? Nope. I grew up with a shovel in my hand...

Mankato MN Series race... All my years of driving over to West Central North Iowa, I don't think I've ever witnessed better conditions. Great day to ride a bike, aye. The trail 'is what it is', hasn't changed in 10 years, but for a one time a year deal, good fun. Also found my way down to the new MTB trail along the MN River. Fun little loop. Thanks to the locals that move the dirt along the banks of the Muddy.

MN Series RESULTS LINK

My showing... What do the kids say for lackluster, 'meh'... Had fun, gave it when I could, riddled over my slipping seat post and rear wheel squish (turned out to be broken spokes). I do like the made over Mamasita with the Reba RLT thru maxle, so much less flex on the front of a 29.

Up next? It's all training for Cheq100, which is training for my Aug living the bike dream week. Haven't pulled the trigger on back to back 100's, but want too. Also got a title to defend at Levis in July, dang wish it was in Oct.  

The Ice Champ kitted up for the first time... From stealth to "LCR!"

Note- Jack calls, "Monday, Mammmath, 4:15." I say, "whatdoyoumean. Easy to call out when you weren't racing today"... And the Sat bromance with Jim don't count even if you guys got soaked.