Sweet...

Gym Jones Vid

Gym Jones Biatch

My riding buddy Luke is also a pro rock climber. He was climbing with one of his friends from Utah and the guy was just impressive and explosive. He asks the guy whats going on and where he got this crazy fitness and he says "Gym Jones" in Salt Lake. So we're doing the Gym Jones style workouts now in our gym. They will shred you in 30 mins. I don't know if it will help with cycling but it is a good way to keep fitness. Pretty fun and kind of like cross...short.

Whatever

Well I did it. I won the South Dakota State Cyclocross Championship. Shouldn't I?be proud of myself. Well, in short, no. I only beat one person whom I would consider a true competitor. Sure the course was great and the race promoter put in a lot effort to make the event legit. She always puts on a nice race. It's just a little frustrating when we just don't have the numbers to show up. I guess people felt like they would rather go on their own ride or just do projects around the house. It's fine, whatever your into. Not everyone likes to race, I understand that. I love the town I live in and the little mountains that we have here. If still lived in Lincoln at least I could have gotten my butt whipped by some true competitors. Isn't it better to know you gave everything you had and maybe only got 5th than to win and feel like you've accomplished nothing. I guess I need to travel to race cross. 9 hours to Lincoln, 7 hours to Front Range...

Happy Thanksgiving

Man, have you seen this crap? I used to like this guy.

Gerdemann Regrets Armstrong's Comeback
Top German cyclist Linus Gerdemann, known for his staunch anti-doping stance, has criticised the return of Lance Armstrong because of the doping suspicions once surrounding the seven-time Tour de France winner. News of the 37-year-old American's return has not been universally welcomed, due mainly to a series of allegations, all unproven, that he used banned substances during his seven-year Tour reign.
Gerdemann won the first mountain stage of the 2007 Tour on his debut but missed this year's race, and the Beijing Olympics, because of a broken leg. Regarded as the rider who could help restore cycling's credibility in Germany, where doping scandal has left it on the scrapheap, the 26-year-old Tour of Germany winner says Armstrong's return will do no good for the sport.
"This is not positive for the credibility of cycling, but there's nothing anyone can do about it," said Gerdemann as he announced his switch from Team Columbia to Milram.
Gerdemann's comments come amidst a general freefall in German cycling following continued doping scandals, notably that of Stefan Schumacher and his Austrian teammate Bernhard Kohl, both star performers in this year's Tour de France for the Gerolsteiner team. In the wake of their positive tests, German television broadcasters ARD and ZDF announced they would not carry the 2009 Tour.
"For us, Armstrong is a piece of the past we don't want to see again," Rolf-Dieter Ganz, head of communications at ARD, told Die Welt newspaper in September. "The future belongs to young riders, certainly not to Armstrong's generation which we had hoped to have seen the back of."

Sven Nys & Bart Wellens

Lance is Back...Cross Vegas Baby

Lance's TDF Mountain Escort Booted

Beltran Busted.

Not suprising, at least to me.

Energy Guzzled by Al Gore’s Home in Past Year Could Power 232 U.S. Homes for a Month.

Gore’s personal electricity consumption up 10%, despite “energy-efficient” home renovations

NASHVILLE - In the year since Al Gore took steps to make his home more energy-efficient, the former Vice President’s home energy use surged more than 10%, according to the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. “A man’s commitment to his beliefs is best measured by what he does behind the closed doors of his own home,” said Drew Johnson, President of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. “Al Gore is a hypocrite and a fraud when it comes to his commitment to the environment, judging by his home energy consumption.” In the past year, Gore’s home burned through 213,210 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, enough to power 232 average American households for a month. In February 2007, An Inconvenient Truth, a film based on a climate change speech developed by Gore, won an Academy Award for best documentary feature. The next day, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research uncovered that Gore’s Nashville home guzzled 20 times more electricity than the average American household. After the Tennessee Center for Policy Research exposed Gore’s massive home energy use, the former Vice President scurried to make his home more energy-efficient. Despite adding solar panels, installing a geothermal system, replacing existing light bulbs with more efficient models, and overhauling the home’s windows and ductwork, Gore now consumes more electricity than before the “green” overhaul. Since taking steps to make his home more environmentally-friendly last June, Gore devours an average of 17,768 kWh per month –1,638 kWh more energy per month than before the renovations – at a cost of $16,533. By comparison, the average American household consumes 11,040 kWh in an entire year, according to the Energy Information Administration. In the wake of becoming the most well-known global warming alarmist, Gore won an Oscar, a Grammy and the Nobel Peace Prize. In addition, Gore saw his personal wealth increase by an estimated $100 million thanks largely to speaking fees and investments related to global warming hysteria. “Actions speak louder than words, and Gore’s actions prove that he views climate change not as a serious problem, but as a money-making opportunity,” Johnson said. “Gore is exploiting the public’s concern about the environment to line his pockets and enhance his profile.” The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, a Nashville-based free market think tank and watchdog organization, obtained information about Gore’s home energy use through a public records request to the Nashville Electric Service.
The Tennessee Center for Policy Research is an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization committed to achieving a freer, more prosperous Tennessee through the ideas of liberty. Visit TCPR online at: www.tennesseepolicy.org.

Pain

Maybe being a pro wouldn't be so cool after all.

King of Mountains

The Black Hills Fat Tire Festival is this weekend. I'm looking forward to the KOM competition.

Friday- 500 vertical feet of elevation gain uphill time trial. Course record is ~8 mins.
Sat- XC race
Sun- Super D

Can't wait.

Whoever wins the most points wins the cash and the bragging rights. I'm just hoping not to break any bones in the Stuper D. I rode the course today and it's hairball if your going fast.

Dirt Jump Park/Pump Track

A nice new addition to Rapid City is this dirt jump park. On the top you can see the roller line (right of the tree), the beginner line (middle) and intermediate line (next to water). Out of view is the expert line with huge gaps. We began construction 2 weeks ago and its about done. The mountain bike association has tons of money from grants and we hired a pro trail builder to come and tell us what to do. Also a Giant pro is here helping and demoing as well just in time for the Black Hills Fat Tire Festival and the unveiling of the park.

In the lower photo is one of the two pump tracks. Its sweet and very exhausting to ride. Using your body vs your legs to make your bike go is pretty cool. I helped build for a few hours on Monday but some people have helped like every day, must be nice to not have a job. Kudos to them for volunteering. The general level of bike handling skills in this area is sure to increase! Time for me to get a 24" bike now! The 29er wheels are the anti-flow on the pump track.

Big Horn Sheep

Violet and I were riding Storm Mountain last night about 5:00. We came over a ridge and ran almost smack into a Big Horn sheep. There were 11 of them and they ran across a little valley and then just stopped and stared at us. They all had the massive curved horns, quite impressive. They are as tall as a mule deer and much thicker. Violet didn't even chase them, I was proud of her. Of course she'd already gone 13 miles so she was pretty tired. I got a pic on the phone but it is poor quality. I don't get too excited about wildlife usually, but this was kind of neat.

Today's Winning Move on Brasstown Baldy Climb

General classification after stage six1 Kanstantin Siutsou (Blr) Team High Road 20.20.512 Trent Lowe (Aus) Slipstream Chipotle p/b H30 0.043 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 0.14

Bike Porn

BigAssTruck

My patient drives a coal hauling truck at the mines. She loves it. How's the gas mileage on that there truck?

Hell of the North

It was a great day for the favorites.

Roubaix

Insanity

Bad Form

Look at TS...one hand...not a drop of beer on him...that's class.

JP

5 hours in the saddle today

Luke K and I went big today. We rode pavement/gravel/snow/mud all over in the hills. Mostly between 5,000 and 6,000 feet once we got up there. 30mph wind sucked but helped me from getting dropped by Luke. Luke has two broken wrists and fell off once. His right hand swelled up fierce. Black and blue...brutal. I said dude...you should start running for a few months.

First Spring Semi Classic of the Season Today

No pictures available yet so here's me in Glacier, sorry.


Dwars door Vlaanderen: 200 kilometers through the center of Flanders in the Belgian semi classic... the weather is cold and rain has started with attacks and an escape off the front...
Live coverage: Dwars door VlaanderenThe Wednesday after Milano-SanRemo is traditionally the Belgium semi classic Dwars door Vlaanderen. This race is 200 km long in distance through the centre of Flanders. During this race the riders have to do twelve climbs of the local cobbled bergs - some that are included in the other Spring Classics.
Chavanel ImpressiveChavanel did a great ride today. attacking with Nuyens on the Oude Kwaremont, bridging up to the break, involved in every break after they showed up in front and then attacked just before the chasers were able to come back and rounded off his efforts in an impressive way.
If this is a preview of what we have in store for the Spring Classics this year it's going to an exciting season.
The top 10 Results (Provisional) 1. Sylvain Chavanel2. Steven de Jongh3. Nico Eeckhout4. Andreas Klier5. Allan Johansen6. Gorik Gardeyn7. Martin Elmiger8. Guennadi Mikhailov9. Joost Posthuma10. Nick Nuyens

The South Dakota Way

I'm going hunting on Friday at a game preserve outside of Rapid. Hunting season here ended Jan 31st but you can hunt year round on a game preserve. My friend Chad is taking me. This was a nice take on Allison's father's ranch last October.

Why yes, that is a 1952 Belgian made Browning double automatic. My grandfather bought that new in '52 and hunted it, he passed it to my father and now I use it. It's a nice firearm.

My new ride

Here's a picture of my new car I bought....no not really. I rented it in Germany. It was fast. I drove 260 kph from Bavaria to Munich. Here we are in Garmish; a town in the German Alps.

Early Season Cross Rides

I got out today and made some deposits in my pain account out on the road bank. I wish I could get a better rate of return, oh well... 60 miles between 0% and 15% grades all between 3K and 6K ft. (Why do they build roads that are so steep here?) Should have been a three hour ride on a road bike. It took me 4 on the cross bike with a backpack full of crap. I felt like I had cement in my legs. I never stood but for a second to let some blood flow into my little buddy. I'm reading "The Rider" by T Krabbe so it's motivating me.

One Word...NERDS

Yeah, we hung out with Ogre in Vegas at the Super Bowl party. We were approximately 6.5 yards from the bar where all drinks were free. Lets just say things got a little out of hand. Hey Chad, why is your hand blurry? I know he's a celebrity, but come on!

This bike is cool.

I'm thinking about ditching the levers on the flat section of the bar for next season because if your hands are on that part of the bar, your not attacking and therefore missing the entire point of cyclocross. Oh yeah, and cause pro's don't have those little levers either, and copying every little tiny thing any pro does or thinks about is the second most important point of cross.

Vegas Roadie Ride

This road ride was fun, but not as fun as the Ultimate Fighting Championship later on that night.

Ken B

The fastest dude that's older than you, that will drop you every time on the flat.

Sushi....Good

GB Luke K. and myself took in some sushi before catching the string quartet last weekend. Kenny B's wife had some cello solos that were quite nice.

Cross Nats

10 degrees. Frozen Tundra. Where were you Savory? You can see my little beer gut starting to pooch out, sweet!

My New Roadie

Well since I destroyed my Lemond on the garage I finally ordered a new bike on Monday from none other than funnyman Todd Munson. I got the Dura Ace/Ksyrium SL bike, not the Red/Zipp bike. A small but thousands of dollars difference. He gave me a whale of a deal on an '07.

News Flash: Carpenter Dental Launches Website

GB Mitch Kline made me a website. I wanted no flash or anything fancyschmancy. Just the basics.

www.carpenterdental.net

Meth Mouth

Meth is frickin sweet. Side effects may include large soft holes in teeth.

Well, I'll fix anybody in need including meth heads. This wasn't one of those, "Oh I'm a recovering meth head look at me put my life back together, good for me" guys. This was an existing meth head. Not cool.

Dog days of winter

Too cold to ride. Been doing lots of XC skiing. Not nearly as sweet as what Averil's been doing. Check it. www.coalminerslongjohns.blogspot.com