..................Trailhero

Grandma Bike

2012-02-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

Wanted: 53cm road bike frame or complete bike, preferably old and cheap.  
I'm building mom a bike as a Christmas gift from me and some of the siblings.   
I'll use an old frame but build her some sweet wheels and make the best riding 
budget conscious cruiser ever seen.

One more

2012-01-04T17:51:00.001-08:00

Just look at the way this fresh roasted stuff foams up. This does not happen with any other coffee I've made.

Mmm, Addis Ababa

2012-01-04T17:45:00.000-08:00

I got some green coffee beans at Harman's (Ethiopian restaurant). Here they are, roasting and giving me a nostalgic feeling.

Bikes for sale

2011-12-31T22:31:00.000-08:00

I quit.

Ok, I'm just selling some stuff.
One 2001 Rocky Mountain Trailhead, 21", hardtail with Xero wheelset and new Acera rear der. Commuter? $200.
One Norco EX-C frame, 20.5 ", Fox fork, newer Shimano Deore crankset. Great lightweight race frame. $400.

Actually, I did start running this fall. Barefoot, no less. See Born to Run by MacDougall. Now that it's cooler out, I have to wear shoes, so I bought a pair of water shoes at Walmart for 9.97.
I can do about 3 to 4 miles by now, and (gasp) loving it!

Side Job

2011-10-27T20:38:00.001-07:00

Our house has been upside down for two months for painting, tiles, and flooring. This post celebrates the nailing in of the last major pieces.

Stairs

2011-10-27T20:31:00.001-07:00

Dad and I cut all the pieces Monday. Today I glued and nailed them in.

Number One Mom!

2011-09-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

I guess it's a bit late, and third-party too.
My sister made this card for my mom back about 20 years ago, I guess. Mom hung on to it and it was posted on her fridge last week.

She made Mom happy, and the card makes me happy now. I hope you enjoy it too.

I hope it's sufficiently anonymous, Sandy. Also, Ramona did not take thid photo. I did.

Cyclist vs Walker vs Hitchhiker

2011-09-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

I intended to bike to my band directors' meeting in Carman today, but 19 miles into the ride my rear tire went flat. Assuming that the local farmers would not have a patch kit on hand, I decided to walk the remaining two miles to the highway, then thumb it into town. There would be plenty of pickup trucks on the highway that would have room for a bike and rider. I even changed into my civilian clothes in the ditch next to a windblown cornfield so that I would appear respectable and hygienic.

Changing clothes in the warm wind of a sunny September day in the dusty anonymity of a gravel backroad was almost enough to make this whole experience something to write about. It won't be many weeks before skin and sun are separated by impermeable and sweaty layers, the sweetness of the wind turns its sharp edge, and the proceeds from the rustling cornfield are hustled away from hungry deer. I'm thankful for the unexpected pleasure.

Anyway, the two mile walk to the highway took longer than I thought it would in my stiff soled shoes, and the four mile walk along the shoulder of busy highway 3 took even longer.

If a tree falls in the forest with no one around, does it make a sound? And if a cyclist walks with his thumb out for an hour, is he a hitchhiker?

I think I was a hitchhiker today. I tasted the dust of uninterested traffic and attempted to look sincere and purposeful. I fancy myself a hitchhiker, but judging from the tension in my hips, ankles, and quads, I'm no walker.

Clarification of previous post

2011-09-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

Just in case I'm about to be branded some kind of weirdo, I will hereby state that in the photo below, the "left nut" is missing from the bike axle.

Cyclocross and my left nut

2011-09-17T22:18:00.000-07:00

I love cyclocross. Darkcross was spectacular.
I did notice some unusual clunking noises toward the end of the race. Here is a photo of my bike from late at night when we got home.

Sent from my iPod

School is back in session...

2011-09-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

and we are all learning some new things.
Happy September!

Don't fight it.

2011-09-06T04:49:00.000-07:00

There's nothing to be ashamed of here. I've done it, and I know there are others of you out there. I know it can be hard to admit, hard to give up some of your deeply held convictions.

I discovered this piece of lyrical work written by a well known late 20th century (read 80's) artist named Kevin Cronin who may or may not have been a die hard singlespeed or hardtail rider. The text doesn't give enough clues to verify this, but from the thinly veiled references in the writing it seems clear that he went through a similar experience to the one I've recently had.

Here are a couple of excerpts that will give you the heart of a man caught in the inexorable slide toward fully suspended, geared mountain biking. I've italicized some of the key passages that led me to my conclusions about this writer and his passion.

I can't fight this feeling any longer.
And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow.
What started out as friendship,
Has grown stronger.
I only wish I had the strength to let it show.

I tell myself that I can't hold out forever.
I said there is no reason for my fear.
Cause I feel so secure when we're together.
You give my life direction,
You make everything so clear.

And even as I wander,
I'm keeping you in sight.
You're a candle in the window,
On a cold, dark winter's night.
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might.

And I can't fight this feeling anymore.
I've forgotten what I started fighting for.
It's time to bring this ship into the shore,
And throw away the oars, forever.
Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore.
I've forgotten what I started fighting for.
And if I have to crawl upon the floor,
Come crushing through your door,
Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore.

My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you.
I've been running round in circles in my mind.
And it always seems that I'm following you, girl,
Cause you take me to the places,
That alone I'd never find.

And even as I wander,
I'm keeping you in sight.
You're a candle in the wind,
On a cold, dark winter's night.
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might.

And I can't fight this feeling anymore.
I've forgotten what I started fighting for.
It's time to bring this ship into the shore,
And throw away the oars, forever.

Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore.
I've forgotten what I started fighting for.
And if I have to crawl upon the floor,
Come crushing through your door,
Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore.

(Sniff) You must admit that's a beautiful emotive piece of writing for a rough and tough rider, but maybe it's that soft artist's heart that lurks in all of us that draws many of us down this path. It's ok. If you are feeling caught in the headlights here, exposing things inside that you thought were hidden away, you need to know you're not alone. We're a supportive community of friends who will listen, care, and some of us (not me) even may have a bike to sell you.

Am I really going to school tomorrow?

2011-09-05T20:03:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the first day of paid time for me in the school. We'll have some meetings and take time to finish our bulletin boards and special things to make each child know she is important.

The one kink in this scheme is that for some odd reason, I've had the insatiable desire for the past three weeks to turn our house upside down.

It all started with this painting we bought in Ethiopia. We wanted to feature it on a wall with a complementing color. That led us around the living room, dining room, and kitchen which, now that we looked at them, needed a new coat of paint too.

First we emptied half the upstairs for painting and did the job. Next we shopped for tiles for the entrance (which has waited 12 years to get finished). When we found the tiles at a bargain price at Parkside Lumber, we also saw some incredible hardwood that would make a great replacement for the graying carpet we've trod for those same 12 years. Brought that home too.

Today Dad and I test fit and cut all the tiles:

The million dollar tile. Ever tried cutting one like this?

Every tile in place. Now to be removed and...


heating wire fastened down.

I'm glad for my handy dad. I would have no idea where to start with the wiring and lots of other stuff. He can do most anything, and he's bigger than your dad, anyway. So there. Thanks, dad!

After this we put down a layer of mortar and hid our nice work. In a couple of days we'll install the tiles. At least I would if it weren't for the snag in the plans. Employment.

Is this a joke?

2011-09-04T00:20:00.001-07:00

I found this bike seat on Winnipeg's Kijiji site.
No, I didn't buy it. Yet.

Goodbye paper volcano

2011-09-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

Tristan and I spent the evening assembling this cherry (look) cabinet for our dining room. It replaces a desk which generally overflowed with good stuff like coloring, bills, projects, and all the things of which there are only one in the house.
We were surprised and grateful to find the perfect sized piece at Canadian Tire.

Vino Sip Yo Provincials - Fun and Happy!

2011-08-31T22:26:00.000-07:00

I'd like to thank the Happy Fun Racing people for their work to step up and run the provincials last weekend. It's a big job to run a race, and to do it last minute is hard and stressful too! Great job! I love their attitude and philosophy, reminding us why we do this.

We arrived at the Brandon Hills wilderness area early enough to register and preride both the kids and the adult courses. We were running the course in reverse (counter clock) compared to how I've raced it before, and I really liked the change. This changed many of the short and nasty climbs into short technical downhills. Most of the climbing was fairly gradual and not too techy.

Generally the course was very tight (no 28" bars!) and quite flowing. Especially the latter half of the course, I just loved the rise and fall, the curves, with a few handlebar grabbing tight squeezes thrown in to test your depth perception and nerves. The vegetation was looking decidedly fall-like due to the dry summer, and thus a little easier to see around corners. That helped keep speeds up.

I toyed with the idea of renaming the race something with the words Poison Ivy but decided it would make a great course and fun day sound too dangerous to the public. I didn't actually contract any symptoms of the itchy rash, so the anagram generator I found online helped me with a more relaxing and evocative name. On the other hand, the closest I got to Vino sipping was some nasty strong orange Gatorade. Maybe In Ivy, Oops Provincials would be more apropos.

The staging was a bit of a surprise. We were congregating in the traditional funnel area to await the call when the commissaires told us to go up the trail a bit. So we all turned south and followed Kevin Braun and Paul Benson. And they kept going. We, all 50(?) of us played a little mystery follow the leader up the fire road, like a tentative stuffed-lycra train. I think I was not alone in thinking Kevin and Paul were playing an August Fool's joke on us all. It turned out that they started us up there, about 1000 meters before the finish area, on a curvy gradual downhill wide enough for passing and fast enough for sweating.

The staging order and releasing of groups went smoothly but I was disappointed in the way they broke us up by category/age. I wanted to race with my comp buddies (Paul, Pierre, Russell, James, and others), but we are spread out between the ages of 22 to 50, so we were released at three different times. So the test was to try to catch the guys in the group preceding your own. Too bad. I wanted a rematch with Paul since he and I were so close last year (and by lap times, it would have been similar this year). I would suggested staging in the usual Comp/Expert/Elite grouping, and separating the age/category winners afterwards.

The race itself was a test of internal motivation for me, since I wasn't battling for position with the usual comers. I had to find ways to push myself into the barf zone, which I didn't really achieve this time. Pushing at the edges of performance, going past the comfortable zone is a challenge for me. I think there is a mental game in this that I haven't even close to mastered. I like having a scary tree-trunk legged man trying to catch me or leave me in his dust to make me work harder.

I was proud of the kids too. They did great and Tristan is on the rebound from a summer of less than stellar health. Good to see him sweating and puffing again. Paulos is unlicensed, so no race, but I can't wait to see him laying it down again. He is one intense young racer. Jaydi soloed in the U11 girls cat this time.

Thanks to Grandma Daisy for the photos!

results

Survey. Speak up if you like the Fall Classic, or watching kids ride bikes!

2011-08-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

MCA is asking you to speak your mind regarding a variety of questions. Click here to go to the survey.

I especially encourage all readers to consider the question of Adult and Kids race scheduling. If you are affected by this directly like I have been (you race and have kids who race), you need to make suggestions now. I know some adults did not race this year because they couldn't make it work with the scheduling (eg Birds Hill on Saturday for kids, and Brandon on Sunday for adults). I would love to hear from you if that if describes you. Even if you don't care about when the kids race, you must care about the future of the sport. I think the kids benefit from seeing you hulking lycra clad athletes having fun, joking around, and giving it your all on the course time after time. This is their connection to what racing can be. Not just a kids activity, but a venue for fun, friendship, and healthy competition.

I would like to suggest this for a scheduling solution, and if you agree, tell the MCA:
Kids races should combine the Youth Cup with KOM races as they did this year. These races should be combined with the Adult Cup races, either on the same day and same location, or at least the same weekend and same location.

At Tinker Creek this weekend, the only way to make a kids race happen was to create a new kid's course. Some of us buckled down and did it. In most cases it wouldn't take as much to allow kids and adults to race on the same day. Parents - speak up, and also help the organizers!

This year was a real test of resolve, but we made it to every cup race. I hope more families can do it next year!

Tinker Creek race report

2011-08-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

Where does a guy start describing an event like today's Back 40 race at
Tinker Creek?

For me, it starts with gratitude.

First, the land. It's draped with slim ribbons of trails, gracefully
dipping, diving, stretching and relaxing. The trails allow us a window
into the forest, from the sunny ridges of meadow to the deep dark
places, wet, quiet, cool. What a privilege to travel in the haunt of
deer, beaver, cougar, and all manner of birds. The heights, depths,
waterways, meadows and don't forget the animals are all part of a
God-given thrill ride that we can access by foot, observe from a
vehicle, or dip, dive and speed through on a bicycle. Thanks!

What about access? There was quite a buzz several years ago in the
Tinker Creek clubhouse/shop over the newly accessible Loeppky Quarter.
News of trail ideas came in bits and pieces from the local gurus James,
Gord, and others. It became known as the Big Loeppky. In the second
half of the race course today all the racers would have seen some of the
Loeppkys smiling and cheering us on. They were the happy looking guys
that looked like brothers (they are). Also, if you enjoyed the high
speed meadow thrill ride and subsequent climb through beautiful dappled
forest, you need to thank the Stoesz family. They were there today too,
brimming with delight at the spectacle of this great land use.

Pushing 40? Try 60!

2011-07-14T21:13:00.000-07:00

I don't follow the Tour very closely, but have spent the last couple of evenings catching up on some of the action via bikesnobnyc and other Bicycling.com features. Chris Horner is an American rider, born 12 days after I was, who is hoping for a podium finish in the tour this year. "Pushing 40, and Getting Faster" is the title of a recent interview.

This was inspiring. But wait.

Today's honorary trailhero is a guy from the Kildonans named Arvid Loewen. He just crossed our continent in Guiness Record time, under 14 days. And for a cause. He's raising money for an African hero to orphans - Charles Mulli. Read up on this - and donate!

You don't get to sleep much when you're on this kind of mission trip.

National Treasure

2011-07-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

There are lots of thing our country does well. Parks, education, wilderness.
But maybe you don't know about the official National Treasure list. I have a few nominations.

Kids with enough guts to learn to ride a unicycle.

In flip flops...

The clown probably won't be on the list.

Strawberries are a treasure, especially when filling a cherub's hand.

A good full suspension mountain bike is not a national treasure. But it is a segue into my main nomination.

My main nomination for national treasure today is the trail system near Tinker Creek. I don't have a picture for it. There is no way to convey via fiber optics and even the best inertnet (sic) connection the sense of awe, adrenaline, and beauty I experienced today, enhanced by the finest of camaraderie. I spent nearly three hours on incredible singletrack, much of it new this year. Sweeping curves, challenging terrain, bridges, landslips, walls of wild rhubarb, berms, off camber turns.

Kudos to trailmaster Gord and his helpers for their fantastic contributions to trail riding in southern Manitoba. You have an eye for the lines hidden in the landscape, the exhilaration embedded in the poison ivy, and you made my day.
And a grateful nod to the Trailhero, without whom, well, no dirt to play in, I guess.

I have to mention the riders. Today we saw somewhere between 15 and 20 people converging on the treasure hidden in these Pembina Hills with bikes (two of them biked from their front step to the trailhead). And the hardware? Carbon hardtail 26", full rigid steel 29er, full suspension downhill bikes, and everything in between. I was riding something new to me too. But as the ride went on, my eyes opened to the fact that it's not, as Lance said, about the bike.

Today's ride was really about: re-acquaintances, meeting new people, trying to catch someone, waiting for someone, focusing so hard on the trail that everything else vanished, and goldfinches. They're really active right now, I noticed.

All of this using the precious, delicate, unyielding, yet ever changing treasure of the trail system.
Thank you!

Warning - bike geek stuff below.
Notice the bike pictured above? That's not my usual ride. After talking with Wayne B. (the coolest guy on two wheels) some time ago, I got to thinking. Would I be faster with a dual suspension bike? Not long after this, I noticed among Olli's collection of fancy carbon and other mysterious roadie stuff, a full suspension frame and fork (Anthem, 2008) for sale. In my size.

So I talked to the seller, it sounded good. Then I talked to a friend in Winkler who rides the same frame in the same size, and convinced him to let me scientifically test drive his bike. I took my Norco hardtail (may it rest in peace) and the squishy bike to a variety of terrains that I had predetermined in our coffee table flat city. Then I timed myself doing short specific rides on each bike.

Comparing them side by side produced no significant differences in most situations when using short (30 - 60 second) interval type tests. I tested: tight slalom style turns, two different hill climbs, one of which included some rough terrain, and a deeply rutted drainage ditch. The rutty ride along the ditch was the only one that produced a noticeable discrepancy in the data. Two seconds faster over a one minute interval. That's about 3%.

Is 3% on one situational test enough to take the plunge and spend some cash? I don't know, but it was the harder to measure components of my testing that helped me decide. The bike felt great. I felt fast. There was great ground contact and sense of security. The roughest parts of a race are where this bike would shine, and I want to go fast everywhere, including the unforgiving, hardtail seat breaking rocks of Falcon Lake. I realized I had softened on my idealistic "29er single rigid" and was willing to part with some cash to do it.

Almost every single component on the Anthem was swapped directly from my Norco (R.I.P), excepting the seatpost (different dimension) and shifting (bought Gripshift x.9).

First trailride today results in a grade of A-. Everything is great except for the shifting, which is jumpy at cog 1 and 2. That's a mechanic problem though, not a bike problem. It flies!

I'm thankful and having fun. Thanks Olli and Wayne!

RAMONA'S UPDATE- Wanted : Orange Bike

2011-07-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

So it's not orange...

(I've never unwrapped a new bike before!)

But here it is- my Sette 29er!

And I'm even going tubeless this summer!

And learning to be my own mechanic!


Now to find some childcare and hit the trails already!

(Posted by Ramona)

One down, but one up on the podium...

2011-06-18T18:50:00.001-07:00

Tristan was still not feeling up to racing today at Birch with the KOM
crew.
But...
Jaydi flew through the U11 course to gather another first place finish
and the additional honor of series Champion!
Congratulations Jaydi!

Tristan

2011-06-17T20:13:00.001-07:00

Wow - we've had quite a couple of days. Thursday morning I brought
Tristan to the clinic because his strep wasn't clearing up. They did
tests and sent us to Winnipeg immediately to see a pediatric
cardiologist because of the slight chance it could be rheumatic fever.
We closed our garage sale, they saw us at Children's Hospital in the
afternoon, and they booked us for a heart ultrasound for Friday (this
morning). We stayed at my folks overnight (no pyjamas or
toothbrushes). We just got home Friday 8:30pm.

Nutshell - he probably doesn't have rheumatic fever, just a nasty strep
infection. They'll treat it as if he has rheumatic until the
rheumatologist confirms or denies the diagnosis.

Thanks to God - things worked out with subs at school, finding a way to
make all this work. Many people have been praying for him.

Linc

Time for a tent.

2011-06-03T10:34:00.001-07:00

Abe: I tested our new camper today.
Lincoln: Oh, how did it go?

Abe: It went off without a hitch.

Wanted: Orange Bike

2011-05-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

It's Ramona here, hijacking Linc's blog in hopes that some of his biker friends can help me out. Apparently the garage no longer has room for my disco-era purple Norco bush pilot and a new one is to take it's place. I'm so confused as to what kind of a bike to get. I've ruled out the cruiser bikes since I really want to be able to trail ride but have no idea what I should be looking for or how to size the frame correctly.

Right now, my bush pilot is a 19" frame and has been adjusted to "fit" me but I sort of sit over my peddles now because the frame is too big. I don't feel like I have great control on trails and my mozo's apparently aren't very great shocks...

I have a lot of shoulder/ neck/writs/back/hips and knee pain so I need something that is nice to my body. My physio therapist gave me a big lecture about needing to learn to become a cyclist (and listed many reasons why this would be good and Linc says he didn't pay her) and that I won't be running again (she says she had no idea that the rest of my family are cyclists).

I want to use the bike to commute to the store/library/physio/etc but also get exercise and ride the trails. Any ideas? Right now we're thinking either a 29-er with front suspension or a full suspension bike. Any thoughts or advice on that?

Anyone have anything for sale (I could even work it in so you could have my collector's bike in partial trade)

Oh- and I really would like an orange bike but will not be basing my opinion on the color like I have seen a mom and son do in a bike shop

Spaghetti Spokes?

2011-05-22T19:52:00.000-07:00

I snapped a spoke at Grand Beach last weekend. It took me 30 seconds to wind up around the others and continue racing, and 30 hours now to rebuild the wheel.
Ok, I've only spent about 2 hours completely taking the wheel apart and rebuilding it. I've got them all mildly tensioned and beautiful, ready to true (radially and laterally). Someone is going to say, "why didn't you just replace the broken spoke?" Well all the spokes nearest to the cogs were seriously chewed up from overshifting (3 times in races last year) so I wanted to replace all 8 of those.
Leonard Zinn has been my technical assistant. His book "Zinn and the art of Mountain Bike Maintenance" makes it look easy and it actually seems to be working. It's my first wheelbuild, and I'm excited.
These pics were taken before tensioning the spokes.

One year later, one more cyclist

2011-04-10T19:35:00.001-07:00

This looks a lot like Paulos one year ago, scooting along on the tinish
(little) blue bike with no pedals. Only now it's Meski! She's suddenly
taken a real interest and is actually lifting her feet, countersteering,
and leaning into the corners.
Paulos has come full circle and is now into driving more serious vehicles.

Photos courtesy the mother, as usual.

Spring has challenged our sledding.

2011-04-10T19:28:00.001-07:00

We had to use the accumulated snow in the front (north) of our house to
make a proper place to sled yesterday.
After that, we gave in and had our first wiener roast of the year.

Ryan Leech, Monopoly, and the cold snap

2011-02-19T13:55:00.000-08:00

I went for an evening bike ride with my two older kids, Jaydi and Tristan yesterday. In a prairie town.
Ordinarily, riding here is similar to riding the car around the Monopoly board. Except you can't afford to buy property. My point is the flatness of it and the 90 degree squareness.

The traditional coffee table contours of my hometown were blown to smithereens by two things: warm spell and cold snap. As soon as the thermometer stared to measure negatives again, and the fairweather types start to finger their command starters, the readside heaps of snow around town undergo a radical transformation.

The edge of every street is a quarter pipe. Beside every driveway- a launch pad for two wheeled madness. For a fading wanna-be dirt jumper, there is an instant two square miles of jumping, sliding crispy bliss - with no audience and no competition for space. In fact, in one hour with two of my dear ones, we saw not one soul on our side of any pane of glass. We all three worked the snow piles at a nearby school, tested ice patches, cut corners, flew, danced and flailed our way to wherever we felt like going. I felt like Ryan Leech with two brave Leechlings. Exhilarating!

Jaydi and Tristan loved the freedom of the night, the hard snow, and the courage that comes in the dark after bedtime. With Dad. Well, for my part, I can't say enough about the joy of all this, under a full moon, and the unseen smile of the real Trailhero.

Thanks.

Something to aspire to

2011-02-16T05:17:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago my great aunt Helen died. It was my privilege to join the family at the funeral home for a time of reflection, sharing, and thanksgiving for her life. I didn't know her very well, but appreciated the glimpse into her life given by the others who talked so passionately about her character, love, and also her ability to make great buns.
The thing I want to speak passionately about here is not that. It's something my own grandfather showed me when we were leaving. I had been sitting with my dad, my uncle, and Grandpa. We all were about to leave at the same time, and stopped at the guest book. Here's an approximate version of the dialogue:
Uncle Bruce: Should we sign?
Me: I guess so.
Bruce: [signs]
Grandpa: [producing a pen from his pocket] You can sign for me too. I can't write anymore [laughs].
Me: You can write.
Grandpa: What I really want to do is return this pen. I came to ________'s service here a few weeks ago, and when I got home, this pen was in my pocket!

We all got a good laugh. The pen was not even a monogrammed special pen. It was labelled from some local business. But Grandpa thought it was important enough to keep it in mind and ready to return.

Little Rad Hen - Copilot

2011-01-30T21:05:00.000-08:00

Can you feel the love?

2011-01-26T20:24:00.000-08:00

I work in a public school. I believe in the school system and the possibilities for relationship, for significant connection between caring adults and the children enrolled in the school. This forms a complex and fascinating web.

I invite you to consider with me the following conversation as an exemplar, if you will, of the rich and often confusing interactions in my life as an educator. It is nearly 9 am, outside the school, as I greet two of my eighth grade male students:

Me: Hey dudes.
One of them: [briefly turning head toward me] Hey guy.

I was laughing to myself as they rounded the corner. I wanted to share the moment with you too.

I am Sabre-toothed Portillo

2011-01-22T20:06:00.001-08:00

You can call me Sabe for short. Check out your new name here.
My wife, Ramona? Womanly Panther.
Paulos is now alternately known as Violent Toilet Thing. Not so far off, some days!

Little Rad Hen: Pipes

2011-01-20T21:24:00.001-08:00

At school we have to spell

2011-01-20T20:00:00.001-08:00

Some students were quizzing me. "Can you spell my name?", "spell my sister's name", and so on.
When from my left shoulder (the devil?) came "can you spell floccinaucinihilipilification?" I had to do a double and a triple take. Fascinating word from a 10 year old.

Little Rad Hen: Kludge

2011-01-08T18:45:00.001-08:00

New Years Resolutions Anyone???

2011-01-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

Technical support info

2011-01-01T15:52:00.001-08:00

In case you got a mouse for Christmas, here is the highly involved
sequence for its installation. Usage guide was on a separate but
equally serious page of the document.

Little Rad Hen - oxygen deprivation and Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T19:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Jesus' Birthday to all!

Have you ever said something silly while racing?

This was one of my gift clues to Ramona this Christmas. No, it's not a skateboard. Hint - her Norco Bush Pilot is purple.

Investing in home security - ideas...

2010-12-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

Here's a recent model - check out the features as I carefully disassemble it:

Subtle low profile

The camera, with LED indicator. Battery pack in lower enclosure.

This is where the watchful elf sits and looks through the lens. I assume he takes notes on suspicious goings-on and uploads his reports via iphone.

I actually removed this device from an apartment suite I'm renovating. The elderly man's family installed two of these in there to give him (a sense of) security. Sorry, I can't hook you up with a supplier at this point.

***** edit********

The security camera is not a camera. In the photo above, you can see through the lens, and there is nothing behind it. So this is funny. Ok?

The anti Grinch

2010-12-18T19:48:00.000-08:00


We spent some time in puppy therapy today.

Another satisfied customer.

Tolerating the treatment - see the body language?

"What does this end do?"

As if the King being born at Christmas wasn't enough, God even blesses us with moments such as these!

Periodized Training (and Aging)

2010-12-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

A guy asked me before a race if I did any specific training for "this", meaning cx racing. I cautiously answered yes. But really, lots of sweat and nearly tears goes into training - even for a cycling wannabee.

I'm following a training plan that is outlined by Dave Morris in a book called Performance Cycling (which I have not actually read). A guy with a funny named blog described it and has helped get me going.

Here's a summary of what I will do.

Gym 3 months (long preparation, then really get pumped)

Bike stuff, roughly 1 month each:
Endurance
Intervals (short, above lactate threshold)
Intervals (longer, at lactate threshold)
Intervals (mix of long, short, and painful)
Race Readiness - mixed riding.

As you can see, there are 6 periods of training foci, each with a unique feel and a completion date, which I like.

I did nearly the full plan last year and saw some improvement. I'm hoping to reach some more goals next year. One of my goals was to keep up with Jonny G in cyclocross season this year, but unfortunately we were separated by the chasm between B and A. So I couldn't measure that.

If I had a power meter I'd use that, but a close runner up is the wind trainer and a speedometer. Without the wind resistance, the speed numbers correlate roughly with power.

The target I'm using for intervals is that I should pick a power level (or speed in my case) that I can only just maintain for the duration of the workout set of intervals. In other words, uncomfortably fast most of the time.

My biggest training obstacle is probably my internal reluctance to push myself too hard. Maybe it's subconcious self-preservation. Some people are spurred on by angst and rage - not me! I've never puked during a race or workout, although I was feeling disconcertingly lightheaded during yesterday's gym workout. Those giant glutes and quads of mine are gluttons for oxygen...

Oh yeah, aging.

All this training comes with interminably slow preparation times. I did about 4 weeks of light lifting in the gym to prepare my connective tissues for the heavy stuff. It is a true exercise in humility and self control to do squats with only the bar while all the 19 year olds in the room are tossing big metal around like it was styrofoam. I'm now considering it worthwhile since my overuse injuries and setbacks, which have been increasing each year, are not showing up yet this session.

Greg, I read your post about anti-training and I liked it. Your speed and drive this year showed that it works great for you. I like the structure I described above, although it can be draining. Maybe adding more rest is a good idea for those of us over, say, 30 : )
But if I don't beat you within the next 10 years, I'm switching methods, and that's it!

Rudolph vs. Alien

2010-12-13T11:21:00.000-08:00

Paulos and Tristan both attended the same craft table yesterday and came
up with these. This is Paulos's, completed with help.

Tristan did this one unsupervised and perhaps under the influence. Levitation actually does fit Rudolph's character, but the eyes and pointy digits...

Little Rad Hen

2010-12-11T21:37:00.001-08:00

Parental Leave - What's it like?

2010-12-03T07:51:00.001-08:00

I've been on leave from teaching since March, when we brought our two
lovely new kids home.

Here's what you get to see when you're home full time at our house.
This is laundry folding time. See any matching socks?

Full moon diamonds

2010-11-21T20:50:00.000-08:00

hub deep in diamonds
I don't deserve this pleasure
spinning fairy dust

with apologies to Haiku Dave

100 (squared) mile diet

2010-11-18T08:38:00.001-08:00

The box of mandarin oranges says "Fresh in every way".

How many of us are on the 10 000 mile diet this year?
100 x 100 = 10 000miles (or 16 000km)

Here's a funny bit from Google Maps regarding the trip to get some Christmas oranges:

Walking directions to China

141 days 3 hours

312国道/312國道

17,153 km





190. Turn right to stay on N Northlake Way
	46 m
191. Kayak across the Pacific Ocean
	4,436 km
192. Continue straight
	170 m
193. Turn left at Kuilima Dr

Winkler needs bike lanes

2010-10-28T11:46:00.001-07:00

I'd like to be able to cycle safely with my family to Superstore. There
is a really bad bottleneck at Cargill Rd. I hope our mayor will be more
receptive to suggestions than this guy (

Many Winklerites have European roots. Maybe we can go this way. (Thanks Hal)

Cycling Copenhagen, Through North American Eyes from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Would you rather...? a race report

2010-10-25T11:53:00.000-07:00


Hmm. Speed or style. How about:

Ride or walk down? (ride!)

Try to lose Bill or

chase Bill? (Turned out the correct answer was chase.)

Attack or request autograph? (autograph!)

Post ride spin or curl up in the woods and sleep (Jaydi found this rider from last year's race in the trees by the railroad)?

Telemarketer Love

2010-10-21T21:17:00.001-07:00

This is a rough transcript of a call I received this evening.

Me - Hello.
Him - (background noise)
Me - (louder) Hello.
Him - Oh hello, sir. I'm calling from the (garble crackle) your
existing credit (noise).
Me - Oh, I'm not really interested in doing anything with credit stuff
right now.
Him - That's up to you.
Me - Yes, I guess it's up to me.
Him - I love you, sir.
Me - I love you too.
Him - (click)

Strangely warming phone call.

St. Malo Race Report

2010-10-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

Tristan in good form remounting.

Jaydi cleaned up on the field, including kids up to U13 (she's 9)

Another nice pic by my wife Ramona.


Early in the race, I was this close to Bill...

I loved the first half of the weekend's CX Grand Prix. Weather - windy
but warm in the sheltered areas; people - friendly as always; and
francophone hospitality and pea soup to boot!
Racing B was fun and challenging, and watching the A race was great,
too. I saw Rocket Ron break his chain and decide to run it out. I also
saw Tomek take the time to beat on the hecklers at the top of the wall.
Great racing all around.
A few comments on my race. It was nice to meet John and Jared before
the race, and Marlan after. I was seeded in the middle of the pack, so
it was a dusty slow start. I started passing some riders when we
stretched out in the grass section. I found that riding up right to the
bottom of the wall helped more than jumping off early and running to it.
By the way, how does one shoulder a bike? My bike's full weight on my
shoulder gave me a pretty painful bruise after so many trips through the
sand and up the hill. Oh yeah, cross labs. But I'm kinda far from
Winnipeg to come in for them.
Every time after the wall climb, I was paced by Marlan or Lindsay or
Bill, and sometimes Charles from Altona. This was great - would I have
enough energy left to run the sand? How far should I try to pedal in
the sand? Run or jog? Shoulder or push (shoulder!)? Would I leave the
sand with enough power to get back up to speed? Could I keep up with
the guys on the headwind road section after the barriers? Not much
resting time in cyclocross. After a while I just focused on looking
ahead and turning the pedals smoothly, pushing around and lifting my
heels. And trying to stay ahead of or sometimes get ahead of Bill.
Well, then Bill was out of reach. Ok, stay ahead of 209 (turned out to
be Charles). Darn, he turned out to be out of reach too.
Great bunch of racers, I had lots of fun. I was most pleased to be
beaten soundly by a guy my dad's age (Lindsay - former Olympian). I
hope to keep learning from all of them/you!

Come to Mennocross

2010-09-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

We probably will not be this lucky but here's some inspirational video to encourage the reticent. Thanks Coach Dave for the link.

www.mennocross.ca for info. there's faspa!

Funky dad

2010-09-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my all time favorite Father's Day cards. From T.

Retail shthand

2010-09-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Ever notice the abbreviations that end up on innocent products in
stores? Here's a receipt I got at Superstore. I don't know what bm meant in your house growing up, but in mine it was a different kind of bar.

Crank rethreaded: 175 to 150mm!

2010-09-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

Tristan's original crank (pictured above) was the weight of a large
baby. I got a metal shop locally to drill new holes and thread them
incorrectly for pedals (at a cost of $50). Then I borrowed a crank tap
tool and rethreaded the holes right and left. So to speak.

Rider or Ride? A caption contest!

2010-09-05T19:01:00.001-07:00

I wrote a few paragraphs about Jaydi's sweet new bike earlier. Jaydi
loved the first race on it, it's light and fast.
My ever vigilant (or vigilante?) photographer wife Ramona caught this
moment at the start of last weekend's race. I'd like to hear your
caption ideas for this fantastic snapshot.

Grand Beach Race Report

2010-09-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

Grand Beach - sand, trees and flat?

I was definitely disappointed to hear that Provincials were changed from Falcon Lake to Grand Beach. I was pleasantly surprised when we pre-rode the course at Grand Beach on Saturday. The course was fun, challenging, and fast. It was a thrill to come in first in my category - my first time.

Quick play by play:
I started in the second row, so lots of guys got away on me. I fought my way past some of them in the uneven stuff on the right side, knowing that passing would be next to impossible after hitting the singletrack. Right at the bottleneck of the first singletrack, a rider wiped out. He opened the pack for me to get in there in better position, maybe 5th or so. Gord B was pulling us all, doing a great job. I took every opportunity as the trail dumped onto the fireroads to try passing a few more guys. Wayne B and me paired up to ride the second half of lap one. One rider (we never saw him - young whippersnapper) was ahead of us.

I especially want to mention Wayne's pass in the big switchbacks. Two of us were negotiating the first right turn and Wayne neatly bypassed us both and went straight over the first switchback. I was a bit green.

Wayne faded in the "long" climbs of the end of lap 1, and I noticed Paul S taking his place as my new shadow. He seemed deadly intent on passing me, and that started the feud for the entire second lap. I was feeling my lower back starting to seize up. Tried to keep moving and loose while maintaining intensity. Paul simply would not shake off, and passed me when my chain went into my spokes on the climb right before the third rock garden. Then his low line on the rocks turned out to be a bit slower than my high line. I pulled past, and that set the stage for the last 5 k. Our routine: I start to fall apart on a climb, Paul pulls close, I dig deeper to stay ahead, and repeat. One highlight was when we overtook an expert rider just before a bit of singletrack. He suddenly came alive and burst away from me into the trees. I figured if he could carry that speed there, I should be able to too. Turned out he was getting speed to zip up one of the short steep climbs. Perfect modelling, the teachable moment for me.

My quad were considering going on strike every time I stood up in the last minutes, but I knew Paul wouldn't hesitate to tread all over me if I faltered, so I gave it all. The last rocky downhill was pretty sketchy on my hardtail - didn't feel like the tires were on the ground much. I finished just seconds before Paul.

I felt good and like I used my energy up. Sometimes I save too much. Thanks Paul for pushing me (i.e. the pace).

I learn so much from the other riders, thanks everyone for the race.

By the way, Raven and Furious Fred were fine. I sometimes have my doubts about the semislicks in varying conditions, but they've proved to be fine for almost every condition so far (notable exception - Birch in wet weather).

I want to point out the Tinker Creek team results at this point:
Jaydi - Gold
Tristan - Silver
Jane - gold
Gerald K - Gold
Linc - Gold
Kevin - DNF but was in good position before breaking his chain.

Grand Beach Race Report

2010-09-02T13:07:00.000-07:00

Jaydi with her new ride - leaving the field behind.


Tristan, on the newly christened "Zippy". He just inherited Jaydi's previous bike.

Experts and Elites.

The rest of us.

Jaydi's moment.

Paul and me collapsing after the race.

"want to see my medal?"

Family portrait

Linc and the cool guy (Wayne).

Tristan is the cool guy on your left.

In the back of my mind...

2010-08-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

My long term goal is to win a mountain bike race. I'll let you in on my training and research Click her for my research and training protocols (this is not boring - click for a good laugh).

New wheels for old riders

2010-08-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Old? Nine years, anyway. This young lady has graduated to 26" wheels.

Yes, it is an unbelievable 16" Trek OCLV with SRAM x-0, SID, Race Face cranks, and Eggbeaters (not in use yet). We bought it used from a fantastic couple in Winnipeg.

We prayed for a good replacement bike for J to race with, then stopped worrying about it. This bike came via a response to a want ad we left on Kijiji. Thanks to the Lord (and Deanna)!

J loves the bike and is like the wind on this lightweight piece of art.

Well that allows T to move out of singlespeed into gears.

Stella is getting a paint job and a new motor. Look for it in a few weeks.

Bill the Cat

2010-08-01T12:15:00.001-07:00

For my brother Pat. Here is your nephew. A chip off the old uncle block! And neophyte Bill imposter M.

Oh, also a picture I found of another hardcore Bill fan.

Calcium helps leg cramps?

2010-08-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

Leg cramp research - calcium, etc
It looks like calcium should be taken with magnesium but it should never be taken with magnesium.
So much for internet research.
===================================================================================

General recommendations for nutritional supplementation: To avoid stomach problems and promote better

tolerance, supplements should always be taken earlier, or in the middle of a larger meal. When taken on an

empty stomach or after a meal, there is a greater risk of some tablets causing irritation, or eventually erosion

of the esophageal sphincter, resulting in Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). It is also advisable not

to lie down immediately after taking any pills. When taking a very large daily amount of a single nutrient, it is

better to split it up into smaller doses to not interfere with the absorption of other nutrients in food, or nutrients

supplemented at lower amounts.
http://www.acu-cell.com/acn.html

Tinker rider down(?)

2010-07-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

Tristan had a pretty serious crash yesterday.
I didn't know if we'd be facing a series of facial surgeries or worse. Here's what happened.
I and the whole family undertook to circumnavigate Lake Minnewasta on our bikes (with the trailer). This was the first part of the Back 40 race loop.
Having made it around, we continued past the spillway into Morden and coasted down Conner Hill Rd (biggest hill within 30 miles(?). We kept to a reasonable speed since there was some light traffic. After a left turn, we tucked for a final bit of gravity racing. I heard a yell and turned around.

You have to understand, this is therapy for me. Tristan turned out to be ok, but when I saw this and heard the smack, it was tearing my heart in two. Replaying the scene has been agonizing but is getting better.

I had to ride my bike two blocks to get the van. We sped to the hospital and they took him in instantly. Dr. Gord Zacharias was on (he rides and works on trails at Tinker Creek too!) and looked Tristan over real good. Examination and X-rays showed nothing seriously wrong.

Here he is that evening at home.

And the following day (Sunday).

As you may or may not have gathered from the header of this blog, Jesus Christ is the real trailhero. After all, he made the hills, trees, and gravity. But today he's a hero for me because without me deserving it, he saved my son's skull, bones, brain, and maybe his life.

Coasting with your head down at somewhere around 20 km/h and hitting a parked car with a spoiler on its trunk should result in some considerable injury. The way his face instantly purpled and swelled, I was sure there would be crushed facial bones. I didn't even consider at that moment the possibility of brain damage and spinal injury. I am not overplaying this, this is a miracle. I didn't make a special prayer for protection. I wasn't extra holy or even trying to be nice. God just gave us an unsolicited gift. Tristan is barely having pain today. Hallelujah!

Here are some pictures from the carefree part of the day.

Ramona and the kids.

If you want to make a comment for Tristan, post it and I'll pass it on.

If you pray, do it for Tristan to heal up quick and not have traumatic fears.

Oh, and Tristan was back on his bike today at home! Rider down, nothing. Can't keep a good man down!

Tread the Thunder!

2010-07-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic time at Swan River. Kudos to honorary trailhero Randy Shenk, who has spent so much time creating and grooming the fabulous xc trails.

Cool at the start line.
First place finisher U11 girls.
The race was fun. I placed 2nd, my best in 10 years of racing. I had to pull my chain out of my spokes 3 times.

I have to specially thank Jaydi, who held the gatorade for me. My bottle was still half full, so I didn't even grab it (note of parental regret).
We camped on the premises. It was so peaceful and beautiful!
Canola everywhere. And fair flowers in the midst of it!
The fairest of the fair... on her bike! Note the imported jersey, from her European cycling team days.

After the race, we found a piece of someone's chain on the final ascent. Could it be beefed up secret hardware from a hardcore singlespeeder? Or did all of our equipment feel this heavy on that hill? I know mine did.

On the Yellowhead west of Neepawa somewhere, I spotted an unusual sight in a canola field.

Going 6 hours northwest with the family and camping on the beautiful Thunder Hill was more than just going to a race. This was an experience, an encounter, and a blessing. Thank the Lord!

Birch (or Peril Sensitive Sunglasses)

2010-07-06T05:54:00.000-07:00

At Birch, my peril sensitive sunglasses were acting up. With the humidity, flying sweat, the greasy switchbacks, the falling, and the distant thunder, they shut my vision out almost completely. I ditched them after a lap of slimy fun.

A highlight of my race was listening to James B riding away from me singing about Alice in Wonderland at the top of his lungs. I had said "If you can sing while climbing this hill, you should be riding faster." Shouldn't have said that.

My race wasn't much to write home about, but this rider got a lot of attention.

Perhaps cyclocross in fall?
M was more interested in other lifeforms.

After a big day in the spotlight, everyone was tired. Paulos gets honorary trailhero status for this: when we got home, he stirred in his carseat, nearly opened his eyes, and said "bike helmet." In other words, get me back in the saddle!

Back 40 Fun

2010-07-05T06:21:00.000-07:00

Here are a bunch of photos from our beautiful God-given day at Lake Minnewasta.

The excitement of a LeMans start.

First kid's race: 4 year olds.

Just where does the course go here?

Paulos exiting (exciting) the singletrack.

Now the 6 year old group (4 riders). Tristan didn't want to hurt his time by riding the ramps.

Last race - ages 7-9 (one of each). Here's Jaydi in the lead.

As soon as their 6 laps were completed, Jaydi and her friend took to running the course. All under blazing sun, too!

Meski's racing was simpler.

Final race: open class. See the two year old? Right in front of #80 (the dad).

We had a great day. I was so proud of the three Wiebe first place finishers. Results posted online.

Too Faster

2010-06-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs prodding. Pros have a coach riding in a car nearby or speaking via a radio. I have a kiddie trailer.

My son rides in the bike trailer behind me and yells "too faster!" But what does he mean? Is he afraid? Impatient? Should I brake or accelerate?

Sometimes this is exactly how it feels racing. The pace is causing me distress. I want to pass, but how can I go slower and still pass? Come on, P, I need your cheer right now!

Maybe he's saying "to faster". A toast - to stronger riding, more training, acceptance of pain and lactic acid. This would suit his character...

To faster!

(This is not me)

Falcon Drown?

2010-06-15T11:30:00.001-07:00

Post race analysis:
Pontoons good, wings better. All those pointy rocks got the better of me again!

Last year I made it through one lap (half run). This year I flatted earlier than last year, but was determined to finish. So here's how it went:

Good start. I went into the rocks first. Passed 1 expert class rider.
Rear tire flat after 3 km. Hunkered down for quick repair and pump up. Watched as my lead evaporated.
Back on the trail. Not as much air as I would have liked in the tire.
Flat after 5 minutes. No more tubes, so started running. By now, I'm at the back of the entire race group. I run with some nice young racers who are in good spirits.
Tech zone - try to locate hole in tube. Found 6. Used entire contents of two patch kits. Also about 8 rounds of electrical tape to try to seal the last poorly patched hole. Appreciated the respectful encouragement of the Vandenhams and other tech zone watchers. Pumped up - more air this time. Strap floor pump to my hydration pack.
All alone now, I blow through first half of course. Then on the fire road, I hear a huge woosh and the tire is flat again. A huge new hole near the previous one. No more patches, so I started running again.
While running, I was inspired to repair the tube by tying a knot in the tube at the location of the tear, reinstall, and pump. It worked - for five minutes at a time. Only 8 more pump-ups till the finish.
I finished the race feeling like a biathlete who swapped his skis for a bike and rifle for a red floor pump. Or a bumbling pit crewman for a cash-strapped Nascar team.

My daughter J did a bit better - her main problems were shoelaces undone, flat front tire, and brake pads completely eaten away by all the grit from the swamps. She could barely slow the bike down, but came back in one piece, smiling.

T and his bike came out unscathed, and he got a prize for 2nd U9 boy. Good for you!

Moral of the story?
Stopping for numerous repairs is frustrating.
Stopping for numerous repairs gives you a good story and you meet lots of people.
More air for sharp rocks.

Question of the day: How much air pressure is needed for this course? I started with 28 front/30 rear.

Falcon Canoe Race

2010-06-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

I think I'll bring pontoons for my bike - anyone remember last year at Falcon? My wife convinced my kids to race despite the mud by offering a prize to the muddiest child after the race.

Group shot.

My race was all too short. One lap and Stan's failed me miserably. The pointy rock provided more of a pinch flat than I bargained for. My spare tube had been forgotten, and when I ran to poach a tube from my extra tire, the valve stem snapped off that tube. My first DNF.

I'm telling you right now, this year will be different (better, I hope)!

The Newest Racer in Town

2010-05-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

In Canada for just over 2 months and P's finally grown enough to put the seat on his bike. Then after the weekend that he went to the Brandon Manitoba Cup #2 races, he asked for his pedals so he could "Go! GO! Go!"

And a few days later, he was asking for ramps:
(yes that's a BIG smile!)
and one of his inspirations:
(note- the Montana has been banned form the garage to make room for all the bikes)

Orthotics are heavy

2010-05-25T20:25:00.001-07:00

research: do I need to use them?

It is generally accepted that if the knee can be made to track straight up and down during cycling, with little medial or lateral migration of the knee, then more efficient cycling mechanics will result. In my experience this can best be accomplished by placing orthoses and/or forefoot wedging into the shoe, adding frontal plane wedges to the cleats, adding shims to the cleats, and adjusting the bike fit. In addition, to other parameters that need to be assessed in the cycling evaluation, STJ axis deviation must be noted. STJ axis location has been experimentally shown to affect the knee joint moments that, in turn, affect medial and lateral knee movement during cycling (Ruby P, Hull ML, Kirby KA, Jenkins DW: The effect of lower-limb anatomy on knee loads during seated cycling. J Biomech, 25 (10): 1195-1207, 1992). I believe that medially deviated STJ axes often result in medial knee migration during the power stroke due to the STJ pronation moments generated by the pedal reaction force during this important part of the pedal cycle.
from http://www.podiatry-arena.com/podiatry-forum/showthread.php?t=3315

or
Firstly it is important to note that an unnecessary and unwarranted orthotic will do nothing more than limit performance. Remember that, like you superlight superfast wheelset, cycling shoes and in turn orthotics are a rotating mass, and will slow you down. Therefore if there is no pending reason for their implication then perhaps you should be asking some questions.
Some of you may have had orthotics in the past, either prescribed by a podiatrist for your day to day footwear, or for sport shoes and more likely running footwear (or both). If this is the case, then please note that this doesn’t automatically mean you need an orthotic for your cycling shoes as well
from http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2009/04/orthotics-for-cycling/

Fork Repair 1

2010-02-13T06:03:00.000-08:00

My Fox F100 32 fork doesn't extend after compression. The air pressure is still high, so that's not the problem.

I'm gathering info from the Fox site and planning an attack on the innards of the fork.

Need:
Fox suspension fluid.

Apparently I need to turn the bike upside down to let oil seep into the seals and foam thingy.

Icebike 12

2010-02-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

Icebike 12. My fourth. J's third, and T's second. Fun!

Tendinitis? Tendinosis? LDL?

2010-02-10T19:28:00.001-08:00

from this forum:

BrukBallenger

12-14-2004, 07:48 PM

The first thing to do is get past the misdiagnosis of "tendinitis," and realize that it is now likely "tendinosis." Treating it as an inflamed tendon will be, for the most part, useless. An "-itis" will typically resolve with rest. Yours has been around for far too long, and with most cases of chronic achilles "tendinitis," it is acually tendinosis. Tendinosis is usually a focal degeneration of the fibers and/or cells of the tendon that decreases the tendon's ability to withstand normal forces. This may in turn cause inflammation, but studies show that a chronic achilles tendinopathy usually shows little or no inflammation at all.

I have treated a lot of patients with this problem including myself. The treatment is usually fairly simple with one disclaimer (later). Since I have not had the opportunity to evaluate your injury I will give you my most basic recipe for treatment;

Stair-step heel raises (working the calf); Stand on a stair-step on the balls of your feet, slowly lower heel below step, then raise heel as high as you can.
- Work in entire range of motion of the ankle.
- Use a slow and controlled motion, pausing for 2 seconds at the top and bottom of the motion.
- Start by using both feet at the same time.
- Start by doing repetitions until you feel a good amount of muscle fatigue. If you can do 20 repetitions, add a second set.
- Start with only one session per day max, ever.
- When you can do 2 sets of 20 reps using both feet, start doing the first set on one leg only, then the second set with both feet.
- You may experience increased calf/tendon soreness for the first week or so, it will get better.
- Finish with easy 30 second calf stretches for the gastroc and soleus.
- It is best to put other stressful activities on hold for the first 2-3 weeks at least, this means running. Cycling may be ok, but keep the gears high resistance low, and cadence slow (75-90 rpm), ensure that cycling does not impair your recovery from the heel raises.
- When you can do 20 reps on one leg without undue soreness or fatigue, then start doing short, easy runs. Gradually start to increase your running workloads.
- As you resume your running and cycling workloads, decrease the frequency of the calf work to 2-3 times per week, but keep them up.

The disclaimer:
You may have biomechanical or other musculoskeletal issues that are overstressing your achilles, these may need to be addressed before you acheive full recovery.
A skill deficit may also propagate this injury. If you have even a small flaw in your running pattern or pedalling stroke, for example, then you may be overstressing the tendon there also.

As someone else mentioned, tendinosis may be a precursor to rupture, so be dilligent with your treamtent. It is probably not wise to run through the pain.

Good luck!

Elsewhere I read use cold on tendinitis, hot on tendinosis.

Laser Disc Lite hub contact here. I sent them an email question about the forward freewheeling.

Holidays

2009-12-30T14:43:00.000-08:00

We are in Boissevain, having just spent a fine three days together with most of the Martens clan. I say most, on account of:

K and M continue to struggle with some serious health related issues.
Mr. Kincaid needed to stay in Seattle to work (and possibly avoid snow and sub-freezing temps).
Mrs. Kincaid was only half there, due to her heavy schedule of visiting the restroom and sleeping off the latest virus.
and last but not least (well, they are the least in terms of size) P & M. They're still illegal to bring to Canada. But we thought of them and missed them!

Kludge?

2009-12-21T06:58:00.000-08:00

My eyes were opened to my long-lost brethren in creative repair and other solutions yesterday. Dad sent me a link to thereifixedit.com. What revelation! What kinship! I am not alone in my need to make and do things with ingenuity and thrift.

I need therefore, to share my latest workaround for cycling training. Why spend unnecessary time and money at a gym when you can make a leg press?

Sit Here.

Push on this 5/8 plywood.This structure transmits the force from your legs to the load.
Through this linkage.
And lifts it off the floor. If you plug it in you can have entertainment whilst you work out.What is a kludge anyway?

RD Funny?

2009-12-18T19:28:00.000-08:00

Ramona always has our family's best interests in mind. Whenever I come home with a good joke or story, she groans and says "RD funny?" Meaning - could you submit that to Reader's Digest and get us some cash?

Here's a funny thing that happened at school. I just submitted it online to rd.ca. See what you think (if anyone besides me reads this).

Sixth grade students collect and recycle pop cans in our school. Partially full cans are emptied into a bucket. An eighth grade student said "Drink some. It's really sweet." When there was no response, he put the bucket to his lips and took a good swig. "Mmm. It tastes good!" As he walked away, they looked at him with a mixture of disgust and awe. In true junior high fashion, it was only a few minutes later that I glimpsed the can collectors gathering around and testing it for themselves.

I think it needs a snappier ending to be rd funny.

In other news, my weight training is on hold. I think I strained a muscle in my back when I was trying to get a 70 lb bag of cement into my backpack.

Did I mention I'm too cheap to go to the gym?

Our trip to Ethiopia is also on hold. The powers that be (Canadian High Council in Nairobi?) didn't like the birth certificates supplied for P and M. They want new ones, to be issued from their region of origin. Hmm. I'm thinking remote corner of the country, mud huts, jungle. Print me a nice official document on a piece of forest vegetation please.

That's an exaggeration. I know there are regional authorities and courts. I just hope it doesn't take too long.

New Season

2009-11-14T09:38:00.001-08:00

Inspired by a guy called Ashwin Amana, I think I need to do some weight training to get to the next level of racing excellence. But, I don't want to go to the gym. Here's some quick research on no-weight weight training.

The Set Progression Strategy: By increasing the number of repetitions each set, increasing the number of sets performed and reducing the rest periods between exercises and sets... you can systematically improve total body function!
	The Alternating Set Progression Strategy: By alternating the exercises you do each set, your muscles will get a greater rest... furthering your progression by allowing you to add more exercises to each workout!
	The Superset Progression Strategy: By performing the exercises in supersets, you up the intensity of the workout by placing greater stress on both the muscles and cardiorespiratory system... leading to greater muscular, heart and lung strength AND burning more fat!
	The Giant Set Progression Strategy: By performing multiple exercises without rest in one giant set, you will again turn up the intensity placed on your entire body... blasting you to further body transformation!
	The Circuit Progression Strategy: By performing a succession of different exercises without rest, you intensify and vary the stress placed on the body without increasing workout duration... meaning more progress in the same amount of time!
	The Peripheral Heart Action (PHA) Progression Strategy: By alternating between upper extremity and lower extremity exercises you effectively and intensely train all the muscles in the body, the heart and lungs and burn large quantities of fat... this is the supreme muscle blasting, heart pounding, chest heaving and fat burning workout that will impact your fitness, health and physique the most!

As you go from one strategy to another, your muscles become stronger and harder, your heart and lungs will strengthen so you can do more, longer AND the fat falls away.

Calisthenics = body weight training.

Now I need to look for some cycling specific exercises.

End of an Era

2009-11-10T20:04:00.001-08:00

Photo credits to Ramona

Sunday was the season-ending finale of cyclocross 2009. Kildonan Park was great. No mud, no snow. Lots of speed! I could have used a bit more of this. Also haikus, and poker derby!

Winning Haiku:

End of the season
Rest awhile, soon you'll find me
Back in the saddle

That was worth two loaves of Hal's bread, a bit of fancy cheese, and a bottle of wine (by draw).

I'm so thankful to have participated in 3 of the 8 races. It was fantastic!

I placed:
22/28 at the Belgian Club
16/22 in Altona
11/17 at Kildonan Park

I felt faster every time. I still couldn't catch Jonny G (my rabbit) or Ian Hall. Guess they were getting faster too.

I can't help thinking - would I be faster with the cyclocross style bike?
CX: lighter, no suspension bob, low roll resistance, aerodynamic position, quick spin-up
mtb: good in mud, cornering, and most of all - I have this bike!

And I love it.

Still, without going to the expense of buying a cx bike, I could do some modifications to make it faster for this format.

Fork - buy a carbon rigid - $200 ish
Tires - buy narrow knobbies (1" or less?) keep tubeless if possible - $maybe 100?

so - $300 for my cx conversion. That's a lot. But, it's less than a full cx ride - $1000 - 2000.

Other repairs that would help:
Rear Wheel- I should fix it anyway - needs a spring for the WTB hub. Then I could use the lighter wheel that I haven't been riding. - $?

Slicks and Rain AND CHILDREN!

2009-10-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

Today we're racing at Whittier Park. Since the forecast was quite dry, I left my knobbies at home and came with my friends Crow and Raven (tubeless semislick tires). Lo and behold, it's raining this morning! The image that comes quickly to mind is racing at Falcon Lake this spring in rain, with my aforementioned slick friends. Particularly, riding down a grassy slope at top speed, but sideways (I recovered).

In other news I'M A DAD! Our two and a half year old adoption has come of age. The Ethiopian courts have ruled that P and M do indeed need a family and that family is us! Hallelujah to God for moving this forward. I hope he surprises us soon with a travel date (we're waiting for immigration and medical documentation).

Gardening

2009-06-17T04:58:00.001-07:00

On Saturday I was working in my yard. Most of the time I only work in the yard if I have to, that is if the lawn looks like an unkempt 12 year-old's head, or we need to plant a garden to maintain marital unity. Saturday for some reason I was pulling grass and weeds because, well, I guess I wanted to make my wife happy. Funny, she was quite surprised when she came outside.

I was surprised too, when I worked under the deck. There is a profusion of quackgrass growing down there, especially at the edges of the deck where the mower doesn't like to go and the sun still reaches. I was pulling it out by handfuls and throwing it on a pile. Among the quackgrass I found some volunteer sedum, some Manitoba Maple, what looks like a raspberry plant, and a wild strawberry plant that I moved from one of our evergreens in the back. It came with the tree from a ditch north of brandon somewhere. I had also put a few shade-loving perennials in there some time ago, and they (I forget the name) were now blooming shyly in the shadows.

My thoughts on seeing the unexpected raspberry and sedum along with the other desirable plants hiding among the tall grass were of my life and its weeds and plants. I am a follower of Jesus, but I don't always show it very well by the things I do or think about. I give more time than necessary to the nurturing of guilty feelings. Lately, I've tried to trust in and lean on the love of Christ, and not worry so much. Then, I try to enjoy life and love God back.

I ride my bike as fast as I can. I play with my kids. I try to relax once in a while. I try not to be obsessive. I avoid guilt thoughts. I read the Bible. I wash the dishes. I listen to my wife (really, I do). Among all this living, sometimes I wonder where God fits.

Maybe the answer is under the deck. I planted some stuff there. A lot of grass and weeds have shown up. But amid all that, there are a few treasures coming, even without my knowledge or plan.

God, do that in my life. I love you and the way you do things!

God's Will

2009-04-29T04:22:00.000-07:00

I just checked the weather site, and on a whim googled "God's will". Here's something from the British evangelist George Muller. Not his website, just an excerpt from an essay of his.

Knowing God's Will - How to Ascertain the Will of God
Knowing God's will is the key to prayer, spiritual growth and fruitfulness in our individual lives. Here's how George Müller set out to ascertain the will of God on a daily basis:

I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people generally is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are over come when our hearts are ready to do the Lord's will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.

Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.

I seek the Will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.

Next I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God's Will in connection with His Word and Spirit.

I ask God in prayer to reveal His Will to me aright.

Thus, through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters, and in transactions involving most important issues, I have found this method always effective.

Here's another person's take on it.

Question: "How can I know God's will for my life? What does the Bible say about knowing God's will?"

Answer: There are two keys for knowing God's will for a given situation (1) Make sure what you are asking for or considering doing is not something the Bible forbids. (2) Make sure what you are asking for or are considering doing will glorify God and help you grow spiritually. If these two things are true and God still is not giving you what you are asking – then it is likely not God’s will for you to have what you are asking for. Or, perhaps you just need to wait a while longer for it. Knowing God’s will is sometimes difficult. People want God to basically tell them what to do – where to work, where to live, who to marry, etc. Romans 12:2 tells us, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will."

God rarely gives people that direct and specific of information. God allows us to make choices regarding those things. The only decision God does not want us to make is the decision to sin or resist His will. God wants us to make choices that are in agreement with His will. So, how do you know what God’s will is for you? If you are walking closely with the Lord and truly desiring His will for your life – God will place His desires on your heart. The key is wanting God’s will, not your own. “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). If the Bible does not speak against it, and it can genuinely benefit you spiritually - then the Bible gives you the "permission" to make decisions and to follow your heart.

Spurgeon said this.

Any thoughts?

Thought Collage.

2009-04-19T17:43:00.001-07:00

Today on the way to church we passed a grassy area with hundreds of small wooden crosses stuck in the grass. A sign stated that 1 200 children die each hour from starvation.

Children's Camps International is seeing doors opening before them to bring camp programming into Kenya and maybe Uganda.

I heard a parable by Soren Kierkegaard today. A wild goose became sick and went down to a farmyard to find some food and recover strength. In the morning he heard the flock flying over. His heart was stirred, but he decided to stay a bit longer and regain a little more strength. The same scene recurred day after day. Have we heard the call of the Holy Spirit and resisted it so often that we are no longer stirred?

I got new Kool Stop pads for the disc brakes. No noise yet!

I'm torn between racing full-on and giving it all up, selling stuff, and donating the money to helping people.

Fork Tuning

2009-04-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

My fork is a Fox F100R.

I should aim for...
Sag: 15 mm at 65 psi.
Rebound: There should be 12 detents. Start with the middle, and see how it does. Lighter rider, less air spring pressure, faster rebound needed (turn out more clicks).

Training update.

Adding 5 minutes per low intensity ride till I reach target of 45 minutes. Then increase intensity gradually, about 10% more per week.
Currently I'm at 40 minutes, 50% intensity. No intervals yet.
Osgoode is grumbling, but resigned to his fate. I hope.

I arranged to buy Kevin's Mavic 717 wheels mounted tubeless with The Crow/The Raven. Looking forward to trying those!

My rear brake is crazy noisy with shuddering and no power. I don't know if it's pads, loose spokes, Juicy, or what. I hope and pray for a good solution. Ordered pads from Tinker.

I didn't mention that I saw a physiotherapist about the knees. I'll see him again next week.

Tubeless?

2009-03-23T17:09:00.001-07:00

I have a 32 oz bottle of Stan's sealant.

I need:
2 rim strips @ 22.00 = 44.00

My rims have a cloth spoke tape. Is that it?

Maybe I should get the injector too.

____

I just read about using a sliced tube to create a cheap/free rim strip. Maybe I'll try this.

____

Disc brakes -
- spacing - push pads apart, reinstall wheel, business card on each side of rotor, squeeze for spacing.

- squalling - seems to be a common problem. Here's a hint from mtbr.
"This is an update to my earlier post from last year. I've found two things that help a lot with both the horrific squealing and adjustment difficulty. Number one, clean the glaze off of the pads and rotor often. This may have to be done after every ride in wet/muddy conditions. Number two, put thin stainless steel washers on the caliper attachment bolts between the bolt head and the back of the conical washer. This has made the unit move out of alignment less when I tighten the bolts.
Lastly, I tried the UNEX replacement pads and have had a lot less brake noise. I have one set of UNEX Pads and one set of the Avid that I installed at the same time. The Avid ones make way more noise!!! Based on the fact that I have been able to improve this product on the cheep, I've upgraded its chili rating. I still wouldn't recommend them."

also

"Some say Noise - solution: The stock organic pads, once overheated, leave voids in the pad face. I have tested this twice on steep descents. Once the voids exist the noise goes through the roof. On one trail, very steep, I have twice overheated pads to where they smell of burning brakes. Noise immediately apparent. Solution is the use of metal pads as they just dont seem to overheat like organic. The organics are great until they are toasted. Going to try another pad brand next."

and

"These brakes are powerful and easy to align calipers. My problem was the ungodly, ear piercing squealing when they got even a little wet. I think I read where another reviewer called it "like a scalded monkey" and I would add "still on fire, high on crack"! I've been riding discs for years, so they aren't new to me.I always make sure the rotors and pads are thoroughly broken in before I ride a new bike, and have the fluid flushed annually. I had the "turkey warbling" and vibration in the frame like others, a squeak here and there, but that didn't bother me that much.I added washers under the calipers to make sure the pads weren't contacting the rotor spokes, cleaned the rotors and pads with alcohol, being careful not to touch them. I made sure the rotors were straight, made sure the calipers were aligned perfectly, even tried one reviewers recommendation to carefully coat the caliper bolts with grease, but nothing I did would stop the piercing howl when they got wet. It was so bad I vowed to not ride this bike until I got rid of these avids , but I tried one last thing- I replaced the stock sintered pads with a set of aftermarket "EBC" brand (I hope I got the name right) organic pads. Wow, it was like night and day! They squeak a little when they get really wet, but nothing like they were, and after a few yards, silence! No more turkey warbling, no shrill piercing squeal that won't go away, no vibration, no embarrassment,just pure singletrack heaven. I gave up a negligable amount of power with organic pads, but I can live with it.I've been riding these now for about a month and a half through rain, snow, stream and pond crossings,ice, so far so good. I didn't ask the LBS if EBC makes semi- metallics, maybe I'll try some when these pads wear out (assuming the avids are still on the bike).I'll write a follow up review if anything changes. A word to Avid- people are working harder than ever for their dollar these days and have precious little time to enjoy it.If you continue to release products that aren't quite ready for production and back it up with lousy customer service, we will spend our very hard earned money elsewhere. Shame on you."

I'm laughing out loud at the turkey warbling description. Too apt.

"The brakes are cheap pieces of crap. Poorly made/designed. They do not retract. Does anyone own a set where the rear does not drag? The rotors warp because of cheapness. You can hear Avid Juicy5s coming a mile a way, the courdoroy slacks of disc brakes. I will NEVER buy another set of Avid brakes--Period! There are too many alternatives that actually work. You are better off with V-Brakes than this garbage."

I think I should start a support group.

Windy Cold March Night

2009-03-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Ride #2.

30 min, intensity 5ish. That blows my 10% per week increase in time out the window.

My tibia feels fine, but the top of the patella and around the medial (in) side is irritated. Similar to last year's pain.

Wrists, elbows don't feel great either.

I need help.

Incidentally, hydraulic disc brakes never freeze up.

Baseline

2009-03-06T20:30:00.000-08:00

I went for a ride tonight. 20 minutes, low intensity. Got home with dry layers- didn't really break a sweat. Knees feel ok. Ankle sore - maybe because I didn't use orthotics in my cycling shoes. Especially since the cranks are straight on this bike, pronation is more, well pronounced.

So, the plan:
Week

20 minutes/ride, intensity4, 2x
22 minutes/ride, intensity 4.4, 2.2x
25 minutes/ride, intensity 5, 2.5x
28 minutes/ride, intensity 5.5, 2.8x

Can I ramp up this gradually? I dunno. Let's see.

Ice Man 2

2009-03-05T06:10:00.001-08:00

I biked to school today. I felt my back tire drifting a few times on the freshly ice-coated streets, but generally stayed aboard. I only fell when I stepped off my bike at school!

School was cancelled at 7:45, just as my jazz band early risers were arriving.

Tendinitis update. I've continued icing several times daily, mostly just below the patella. The tensor bandage is taking turns between left and right knees, again just below the patella. The inflammation seems to be much better most of the time. I'm going to start some low resistance riding as soon as I can. I keep reading about starting training slow, and increasing intensity by 10% each week. I guess I need to observe that, and not start with intense interval work as a shortcut. Maybe that's why I had problems last year and this winter. I'll also start stretching before and after riding.

Trouble is, what do I start with as a reasonable baseline? 20 minute moderate intensity ride? It could be hard to suppress the spring energy like that.

Old bones need to be coddled more, that's for sure.

11:55 am
Elbow pain - I wonder if reaching out far onto my desk to type on my laptop computer in an awkward position is part of the problem. I don't know if it's tennis elbow, based on this description.

Ice Man

2009-03-02T19:03:00.001-08:00

Ice on the knees twice today. I knelt down in class today and it felt normal (good). Right now they're tight again.

Today was T's birthday. We had a great time celebrating for the past 3 days already. Go 55!

Tendinitis?

2009-03-01T19:38:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to self-diagnose and treat. My lower knee hurts, in the front.
http://www.cptips.com/knee.htm from a cycling source.
Mayo Clinic says this.

PRICE: Protect - Rest - Ice - Compression - Elevation