Dec 29th at Center - Snow

Arrived at Ashworth pool at 8:45 AM, hoping to tag along, at least for a few pedal strokes, with Pete, Cam, and Steve. When I arrived, the small, turquoise truck was the only vehicle in the parking lot, but the driver and bike were elsewhere.



So much for my plan. Disclaimer: I am sure that neither Pete, Cam, nor Steve have the slightest idea who I am. Anyway, I rode by myself. The temperature was 14 degrees F and the trail conditions were good, at least for Dec., with 5" of snow on the ground.





I did meet Cam in Denmans. I also saw the Angry Jogger on my way back to the parking lot. Not only was he wearing a coat, but he also had on a black hat that looked like a cross between a turban and a bathroom rug.

Surly Bender Review

Style: American Brown Ale
Aroma: malty. slight cocoa, toffee and vanilla notes. no hop aroma.
Appearance: dark ruby red. clear, not cloudy. dark, khaki head. head retention to the last sip.
Flavor: very complex and layered. malty, but not cloying. good hop balance. hop bitterness, but not hop flavor. hints of toffee, chocolate, vanilla, and plum.
Mouth Feel: very silky, smooth. slight hop bitterness on back of tougue and throat. no alcohol warmth or astringency.
Overall Impression: very good beer. maltiness balanced will with hop bitterness, claimed at 45 IBUs. very smooth. you do not realize it is a 5.1% ABV beverage.

Tentative 2008 Schedule

Here is my tentative 2008 racing (more accurately, riding and hanging out) Schedule. The Bold entries are the races I plan to do. I hope this will give me motivation to continue to break snow, ride the rollers, and to push through cold appendages.

20071226

30 (easy?) minutes on the rollers watching some mountain biking DVD. Some incredible stuff, but very disjointed. More rollers tomorrow night. Maybe I can ride outside Fridy afternoon.

20071225

Christmas Evening. Rode the Center trails this morning. The trails were pretty good, considering they are covered in snow. Conditions would have probably been better if it were about 10 degrees colder. I am not complaining, as i rode in tights and a long sleeved t-shirt. Sweet. The trails weren't fast, but they weren't slick either. Enough people had ridden J-11 and Denmans to create a decent packed trail.

I have ridden more snow this year than in my entire life. I believe that the tails have been covered with snow every weekend for the last month. I have been riding my 29er with a 32 x 20. While the 2.3" ExiWolf tires work pretty well, I wonder if there is something better?

July 28th BRAD

Hooked up with Al Boone this morning to do a quick lap of the Center Trails. Roller Coaster, J11, Denmans, Rhythm, Trestle, Hillside. Trails were a little greasy. We must have got more rain than I realized. It was also nice and humid. Anyone know the distance of a Loop of the center?

Then got to come home and deal with a water heater and garbage disposal that went tits up yesterday.

Peace,
Randle

Beer Review - Boulevard Irish Red Ale

According to the BJCP 2004 Style Guidelines, Boulevard Irish Red Ale is a commercial example of category 9D, Irish Red Ales. Her are my thoughts on this fine beverage.

• Malty aroma. No hop or estery smells
• Deep copper/amber color
• Light tan head
• Medium light body with moderate carbonation
• Malty flavor, with a slight caramel taste.
• No hoop flavor, but some hop bitterness
• Slight alcohol warmth
• Very easy drinking beer

• Aroma 8 out of 12
• Appearance 3 out of 3
• Flavor 18 out of 20
• Mouthfeel 5 out of 5
• Overall Impression 8 out of 10
• Total score 42 - Excellent!

I had my fourth session on the uni this evening. My wife is afraid I am planning on joining the circus. Anyway, I made it nearly from my house to the end of the street, which is about 300 feet. I am tossing around the idea of taking the uni on the Mayor's Ride later on this spring.

Gotta get some fenders

I used to think fenders were dorky and wondered why anyone would want fenders on their bike. I remember when I was a kid, fender removal was one of the first modifications to a new Huffy. I never saw Greg LeMond, Davis Phinney or even Bobke ride a fender equipped on their Reynolds 853 Eddie Merckx. Andy Hampsten did have fenders when he rode to a Giro stage victory during a blizzard in the Gavia Pass.

However, as I have gotten older, and I would like to think, sometimes wiser, I realize that fenders scream hardcore. A bike with fenders is a bike that is all business. It's a bike that is about riding. It is not a bike where someone is trying to save half a gram (28.35 grams to an ounce, just in case you were wondering) with carbon valve stem cores. It is a bike that says that there is no honor having a wet, black stripe of road grime extending from the tail of your seat to the top of your jersey collar.

I've got to get some fenders. But first, I need to spray some shout on the back of my jersey.

The Thaw Begins

The mercury finally approached 40 degrees F and some of the snow finally began to melt. I pedaled the Monocog 29er to Denmans. I rode about 300 meters of Denmans before deciding it was too sloppy and deep. Perhaps I should have been there earlier.

Second unicycle session went much better than the first. I got some rides that were probably 20 feet. I've got a lot of work to do before I can ride it at the Monkey Pit.