CB V1.0

Sweet...

2008-11-26T16:16:00.000-08:00

Gym Jones Vid

2008-11-25T12:32:00.001-08:00

Gym Jones Biatch

2008-11-24T18:23:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-20T13:29:00.001-08:00

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

2008-10-31T11:39:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

Lance is Back...Cross Vegas Baby

2008-10-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Lance's TDF Mountain Escort Booted

2008-07-15T13:43:00.001-07:00

Beltran Busted.

Not suprising, at least to me.

2008-06-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

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

King of Mountains

2008-05-21T20:42:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

BigAssTruck

2008-04-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

It was a great day for the favorites.

Roubaix

2008-04-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

Insanity

2008-04-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

Bad Form

2008-04-09T07:45:00.001-07:00

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

2008-04-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

5 hours in the saddle today

2008-03-29T15:44:00.001-07:00

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

2008-03-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-10T21:08:00.001-07:00

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

2008-02-10T16:52:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-02-08T08:50:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-03T07:35:00.000-08:00

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

Ken B

2008-02-01T18:05:00.000-08:00

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

Sushi....Good

2008-02-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-31T07:12:00.000-08:00

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

My New Roadie

2008-01-31T06:51:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-31T06:48:00.000-08:00

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

www.carpenterdental.net

Meth Mouth

2008-01-29T13:39:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-24T07:26:00.000-08:00

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

Shattered Fork, Shattered Dreams

2007-08-22T21:19:00.003-07:00

Now why was I trying to save money by having a $2500 deductable thinking I wouldn't have any claims? Doooough!!

Fork snapped/Frame buckled. The Dura Ace is still good but dented and headed for the Kelly cross! Too bad that bike won't accept Dura Ace cranks. Chris Kelly thought cross bikes should be designed around MTB cranks, apparently. The small ring (39t) hits the frame and if you try to space it more outboard the chainline gets funny. Then again, bike mechanics never were my strong suit.

The new Tete de Course should be here soon. 800 gram frame with the Sram road group and Aeolus wheels. Fast. Faster than a Mercedes SLK? NO! But still fast and it weighs a scant 15.5 lbs I'm told. Can't wait.

I love my wife, but...

2007-08-14T08:32:00.001-07:00

But she drove my Titanium lugged to 120 OCLV carbon fiber bicycle into the garage. The Aeros carbon fork with aluminum steerer (fricking sweet fork) is snapped, the frame is questionable. Road race on Saturday is looking questionable. Durache levers dented. I saw it happen. I didn't even yell or turn red like normal. I just hugged her. Know why? Secretly I know now I can put those dented levers on my cross bike and get new ones for the road bike. Maybe even justify a new stem/bar for the bike. Muhuhaahaa! I still win.

Mercedes SLK better spelled P-I-M-P

2007-08-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's the car I rented for touring Germany in September.

Allison and I are going to visit Nick and Heather and go to Oktoberfest. Mine drenk em biers.

I figured if I'm travelling on the Autoban I might as well be able to keep up with the rest.

Is it worth watching the Tour anymore?

2007-07-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

With two top contenders thrown out and a few more not allowed to start again, it seems like the cycle of doping or doping allegations will never end. It's been getting worse and worse the past 2 years and it's starting to wear on me.

I started at 27th and Vine in 1999 about 5 months before Lance won his first Tour. I remember Gast getting all excited about the Tour and I had no clue what was going on. We watched videos of the previous day's stage on a little TV by the BMX section and he explained to me what was going on. Back then Phil Liggett just asssumed everyone watching knew what was going on and didn't dumb it down quite as much so I needed help understanding what was going on. Over the years I came to enjoy this sport and now I love it. Reading about it and watching new and old races is great and exciting. I don't know if I can deal with all the top guys getting constantly thrown out cause they keep getting caught cheating. The sport is grand and elite but really it's the stars that I want to see, not just a bunch of no-names riding around. What if this inquisition had happened a few years ago? I wonder if Lance would have faced more scrutiny than he did. Who knows, he may have been booted for his relationships with questionable doctors.

Everyone seemed so damn sure all the riders were clean now. I wonder if any of them are. They talk about Frank Schleck and Contador being a "breath of fresh air" because they are young riders. What does that prove? (As a side note, how come Barry Bonds gets to keep playing baseball even though he doped?)

A clean break wouldn't be too hard for me. It's not like I grew up watching cycling. It's not bred into me like Husker football was. What business does a Nebraska boy have watching this stuff anyway?

Me and the Girls

2007-07-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

We got a professional photo done for the website that Mitch Kline is building for me. He does nice work.

Boring Flat Stages...Huh?

2007-07-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Robbie came back up through the group to take Stage I after that crash ~25K out. His accelleration could not be matched by anyone. I've never really liked the guy but I'm starting to come around. And how about the way David Millar stayed at the front of the peloton after he got caught. He was making the pace so he could get across the points line in 2nd and take the polka dot jersey in the U.K. Nice!

4th of July

2007-07-05T06:48:00.000-07:00

Elaina trying to get dad a beer.

Here is an interesting picture. On the left is a shed that has the Mount Rushmore fireworks being projected on it. On the right are the actual Mt Rushmore fireworks. I'm about 30-35 miles away from Mt. Rushmore in this picture. You can see the light patterns match. OK, OK, so it's not that cool. I'm never trying night photography again.

The Hounds

2007-07-05T06:45:00.001-07:00

Violet and Daisy hanging out by the landscaping project in the front yard. Violet says "hi" to uncle Icon.

Allison and Kirsten

2007-07-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

Allison and Kirsten did the Mickelson 1/2 marathon. Good job ladies.

Oh wait, I forgot I won the Dauphine Libere

2007-06-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Steve for this photoshopping job. Is it me or does Cadel Evan look like an evil underground dark elf?

Christophe Moreau Wins 2007 Dauphine Libere (Thanks Steve-o)

2007-06-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

Vino had a pair of nice stage wins. I hope he crushes at the tour.

2007-06-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

“The greater the suffering, the greater the pleasure. That is nature’s payback to riders for the homage they pay her by suffering. Velvet pillows, safari parks, sunglasses; people have become woolly mice. They still have bodies that can walk for five days and four nights through a desert of snow, without food, but they accept praise for having taken a one-hour bicycle ride. ‘Good for you’. Instead of expressing their gratitude for the rain by getting wet, people walk around with umbrellas. Nature is an old lady with few friends these days, and those who wish to make use of her charms, she rewards passionately.”

From "The Rider" 1978

Racing Buddies

2007-06-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

Here is Jim, Me and Jon. Jim is an Environmental Engineering PhD and Jon is an engineer at the DOT. Try outwitting these guys in a race. These are my road riding buddies here in Rapid. This shot is before the Rochford road race. We almost swept the podium spots last Saturday. Two out of three ain't bad though.

New Philosophy in Kids Bikes

2007-06-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

So according to my buddy Jon training wheels are bad for kids learning to ride a bike because they don't learn how to balance and it makes it harder once the training wheels come off. He got this wooden bike sans pedals at Target. The only complaint is a frequently loose headset which is just a long screw. Another way would be to buy a 12" bike and just take the cranks off. Wooden bikes are cool, but not as cool as a Calfee bamboo bike. Pictured is Nolan doing big pimpin on BLA Dees. (He's got the 12's not the 24's.)

Blur LT

2007-06-12T18:49:00.001-07:00

Seven years is a long time to wait for a new mountain bike, so when the time comes you may as well make it sweet.

This years Talas RLC and RP23 both work very well. Thanks to Zach for the shock tip.

Friday Morning Road Ride

2007-06-02T07:07:00.001-07:00

A little rain on the way to Keystone, then it cleared up nicely.

George and his 3 buddies were crying this morning.

The climb up to Mt. Rushmore is pretty strenuous.

Elaina O and Estella Mae Co Kickin' it at Yia Yia's

2007-05-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

Nick and Heather Shulte were back from Germany our girls got to play downtown.

I almost had a "Hindcappie"

2007-05-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

This is the head tube and steerer from my Lemond Tete de Course. The steerer is aluminum. You can see the length of the rivets that hold on the head tube badge are too long. They gouged into the steerer and created a 360 degree .5-.75 mm score. This is very similar to what the plumber does when he wants to remove a section of copper pipe. I noticed it when I was pressing my King cups into the frame and installing the new baseplate onto the fork. Needless to say the fork is garbage now. The fork is the Race XXX lite version from '06, the same the Disco guys were using.

I wonder if the bike Georgie was riding in the '06 Paris-Roubaix that broke had a headbadge. (I kind of don't think it did.) And I wonder if the rivets holding it on were too long and scored the fork. And I wonder if the early crash caused the fork to fail and then in the Forest or Aurenburg or wherever it was...snap!

Anyway beware of rivets that are too long. I'm lucky I noticed this. If it was steel or ti I wouldn't have sweated it but with Aluminum I just wasn't comfortable. New fork is now installed.