Movie night should include a movie both of us should enjoy....right?

Maybe if I allowed her in my house, I could pick. Not likely. Today's pick; "Pride & Prejudice". I was hopeful, Keira Knightley is in it. Can't be bad right? Nope. Bad might be a strong word, unwatchable is a better word. Unfortunately I haven't read the book so I didn't know what I was in for. If I had maybe I would have thought better. Oh well, there was dinner involved.

The two Chickens, Delicate, and I hopped into the toaster on wheels and headed up to the Rim Nordic MTB race on Sunday. We rolled into the parking lot to find the not as dainty Breyer and James. He races for the B&L tri team as well as Xterra and MTB endurance races. I on the other hand watched the races and yelled encouraging words at the racers....ha. I also took it upon myself to taste some of the snacks offered at the venue (see undercooked cheeseburger). The SS race started at noon. Chicken Sympathizer was the first to pass on the first lap, then Chicken Little. I was amazed to see "not as Dainty" pass before "Dainty". Luckily for DD his brother wasn't in the same category. CS ended up winning the SS expert race (3 minutes before the first placed Sport geared guy), CL placed 4th and Dainty in 7th. NAD placed 3rd in the SS Sport class and James won his category in the geared sport race. Congrat's to all the guys!

It's weird looking out my front door and not seeing her.....

Is your car/ truck/ bike a boy or a girl? Does it have a name?

My car is Java.
1. Subaru calls her Java Black Pearl.
2. She is definitely caffenated (ie. fast, quick movements, etc).

She is in for a major tuneup before it's too late. At 99,000 miles it's time for Timing belts. I am also going for the rest of the equation (idler pulleys, idler belts, water pump, etc.). $$$$

I took her down to my buddy Charlie's place, Charlie's Foreign Car. I had called Subaru to get an estimate for the work. They wanted over $1500 for the work. Charlie hooked me up for considerably less. Most of the cost is labor and even though I am a mechanic I have my boundaries with cars. I trust these guys and appreciate their abilities.

Track night was special....

Race Summary:

+ Delicate and I run by In-n-Out. 2 cheeseburgers each.
+ Delicate and I show up and sit down with Mark & Paula Allen (Power couple of the tri world, inside joke). Don Ho and Collarbone even made an appearance! Don Ho being my boss I had to make a jab, right?
+ Just as we finish the burgers and enjoy the race G.I. Nate gets caught up in a wreck and goes down pretty hard. A few scratches, road rash and a cracked helmet later.
+ We met QTBL's sister to be named "Mouthy Maloof" for the time being.

Lefty's:

+ Delicate and I roll up. QTBL, MM and Ted have found a table. We get our beers and sit down.
+ DD pulls the insult of the hour out, "Mouthy Maloof" instantly becomes "Rachel Ray". Wow she did not like that. Douchebags aplenty. She tore DD a new one. Good times.
+ The "Voice" shows up and keeps us in stitches until Dave forces us off the premises. Weekly occurence.

Good lord it was not a dull Tuesday at the track. I love it here.

Congrats Jens, 2nd place! (first loser to some...just kidding)

Good Lord it was hot out there! Some were claiming mid-nineties, I can believe it. Jens pulled 9 laps off, amazingly I might add. The course was just short of 10 miles and 1400 ft of elevation. Yikes.

I sent him out with my GPS for his first six laps, charged it (Thanks Paul) and his last lap. The data is impressive, I just haven't figured out how to upload the data to blogger or the web for that matter.

My asshole ways worked yet again to force another rider to keep going. Our next door racer (Paul from LA) wanted to quit after 4 laps. I gave him some Advil for his back pain, lubed his chain, polished his bike and rolled it out. "Paul your bike is ready, get on." Works like a charm every time. He finished 6 laps.

Jens and I are leaving for Temecula in 7 hours. As usual I can't sleep. I don't know why I get nervous about a race, especially when it's not me racing.

Come on out if you are in the neighborhood.

12 hours of Temecula, 9am to 9pm.

Count the chins......

Contrary to this photo, since I started riding my bike to work I have lost 3 pounds. Now when is it going to leave my neck....

Lots going on.....

*"24 Solo" was great. It showed the pain and anguish of participating in a 24 hour race. It also showed the humorous side as well.
*I rode a blisteringly slow 80 miles on Friday. (Maybe it was in ceremony of the Fall of Turner; see next point)
*Nytro was sold to a friend of a friend (Reign of Turner is no more). CVT's last day was Friday 6/8.
*Tracy finally made it out to Track night. I think he had a good time, especially since most of the night was spent making fun of Jensypoo and not him. Boyband also made an appearance to root on N8.
*Etc.

I think Chicken Little and I are taking a Road Trip next week. Jeremy says my frame should be finished mid next week. We are going to drive up and pick up the frame on Friday. Make a long weekend out of it. The SyCip boys might even show us the trails!

I have to get back to the repairs. I am up to my eyeballs in PBS work.


Bike in the stand:
Paisley Fillet brazed Road

Socks:
Chrome Royales

iTunes:
Pixies "Hey"

B&L has a new website including an online store, Check it out!

www.blbikes.com

Let me summarize my day....

+Woke up early for a MTB ride but, my traveling partner was late.
+We rode the one place that I dread each and everytime I ride there.
+Bjorn, Kerri, Matt, Geri and I all got citations for attempting to ride a trail we have been riding for 7 years. Although I did burn 1467 calories per my Edge 205.
+Matt, Chris, Geri and I stopped by Stone Brewery for brunch and a brew. Matt got lost on the way. Triple Dry hopped Ruination IPA is delicious for breakfast.
+I got a call from some buddies to ride our cruisers down to the Fiesta del Sol celebration in Solana Beach.
+As soon as we pulled into my driveway, I rolled down to their apartment by the beach. They weren't there.
+I met them on the 101 and ran into Bjorn at Filibertos on the way there.
+Fiesta del Sol was a bust but, Chiefs was spectacular as usual.

That's about it. I am going to sleep well tonight....

Tuesday Night Track Racing.....What can I say that hasn't been said before....

Nick took some great photo's, as usual.

G.I. Nate can be seen in the B&L kit towards the back of the pack.

The focal point of this photo is Andrews' gold helmet. Good to see the old man racing.

Jens looks fast in this one. He eventually passed by this guy and got second in the race (Jens is in blue)

Here is an article about Tuesday Night Racing from the Union Tribune.

I worked the first annual San Diego Century yesterday. The ride started from MiraCosta College, in Encinitas, at 6:00am. Scott and I arrived around 5:45ish to help the riders with minor repairs ie, flat fixes and derailleur adjustments.

Around 8:00am I rolled out in the B&L shop truck to do race support. Most of the people I rolled up to had their spares and tools ready (Thanks!). My rule of thumb is if they have everything I keep going. My first real call wasn't until Del Dios Hwy where I repaired a chain for a father/ son team. They were grateful to be able to keep rolling especially since we weren't halfway yet. My next call was in Poway, so I cut course and arrived to SAG station 3. 6 people were waiting for me. The repairs ranged from air to Cleat adjustments. My number one repair for the day though was tire replacement, not tubes, Tires....yikes. It's pretty bad if you need a tire.

All in all the attitude was positive. Everyone thanked us for being out there and helping out. We were able to fix 95% of all the repairs thrown at us. Good times.
_____________________________________________________________

I think I am going to invest in a GPS. We started carrying Garmin a couple weeks ago. Being the gadget geek I am, the functions and features are tempting. The model I am looking at is the "basic" model, the Edge 205. Garmin has two "Cycling" GPS units the Edge 205 & 305. The differences between the two are simple. The 305 has heartrate functions as well as cadence (with optional accessories). The 205 retails for $250 and the 305 retails for $350* (*plus options).

I am intrigued with the idea plotting my rides and being able to load them into my computer and Google Maps. Do I need one? No. Will I get one soon? Yes. I love trying new things, I am addicted to "stuff".


iTunes:
The Office, "The Job"

Socks:
DeFeet Classics

Bike in the stand:
Fox F80RLT

Jens tells me I need to update my blog.....As if I spend oodles up time just sitting around...

Well here you go Jens!

(photo by Nick )
The bleachers were packed last night!

A hundred or so spectators showed up last night to watch some good old Track racing. The normal groups were there; Adams Avenue (Chris, Andrew, D Large/ Alicia, Nick, Ted etc.), The "Messengers" (ABC's Kenton & Mimi, Noah, etc.) and B&L (Delicate, PBS, Cinnamon Star, Rinker, Dano, and suprisingly Geri showed up). Nick has some high quality photo's up on his blog (cornerstonelife.blogspot.com).

As far as racing was concerned our (B&L) very own mechanic, Nate, raced his first Track race! Nate has been taking the Monday night Track practice for the past couple months. He raced a scratch race and then a points race. Fortunately during his last race he narrowly escaped one of the racers hitting the wall, literally. Good bike skills on those racers that got around it. Juls was also in the race, rumor has it she rolled over the dude's wheel, yikes. Thank god she wasn't riding her new bike!

I give an A+ to those of you who commented or emailed me "sarcastic" replies. Good Job!

Tomorrow night is Track night at the Velodrome. There is a 60 lap Madison race at the end of the night that should be exciting. I still haven't decided between Bass Ale or Pacifico. I guess what's on sale will decide.

My Enduro seals were received a few days ago (quick shipping!). Now I just need some extra time to install them. Chris has posted detailed installation instructions on the site, with photos.


I road to work today! Man, it was a beautiful day. No clouds, 75 degrees and riding along the ocean, San Diego is paradise. I saw a few familiar faces out on the road. The Welshman, Jensypoo, Delicate and even the illusive C Rinker were seen cruising the coast.

A couple of additions have been added to my toy box. I have been riding with a pair of Oakley Racing Jacket's with Transition lenses. Simply put, they rock! I couldn't believe how dark they actually got in extreme sunlight. I can ride with them to work and they lighten up enough for me to ride with them just past sunset. I think they are too dark for actual night riding but, work great for commuting and daytime use.
I also purchased some Campagnolo Ultra Torque Centaur Compact cranks. The past couple rides I have wanted a few more gears. I looked into getting a new cassette but that would only add 3 teeth. I needed something more substantial. The cranks are made of forged aluminium and are 172.5 in length. I had been using 175's for years but, that was just because I didn't know better and that was what I was used to on my MTB. It's amazing how stiff these things are. The BB cups are simply that, cups. The bearings are attached to the crankarms as well as each arm has half of the BB spindle. At the end of the spindle there are splines that interlock. One 10mm bolt holds the spindle together. The bolt is easy to torque if you use a rachet extender, a 10mm allen socket and a torque wrench that exceeds 60.iTunes:
Primus "Intruder" from Miscellaneous Debris

Bike in the stand:
Keith Anderson

Socks:
B&L 3" Royales by Sockguy

Beautiful......

Report: 70 Percent Of All Praise Sarcastic

I am officially back on the horse! I rode my bike 6 days last week. Scary how quick your legs and lungs forget. I feel like my brakes are rubbing and my backpack is filled with cinder blocks. Yuck.

I am in the process of overhauling the 29er and realized I haven't rebuilt my Maverick fork yet. I needed to order some new seals. I have wanted to try Enduro seals for awhile now so what better time? I ordered a set for my SC32 and a set for one of my Fox forx. They should be in next week, I can't wait to try them out.
Bike in the stand:
SyCip Super Unleaded Plus

iTunes:
Kings of Leon "Wicker Chair"

Socks:
SockGuy Ride Clean

My fan club have informed me that I need to update the blog. In true G fashion I told them to blow it out their ear.

Since I have been feeling better I started riding again. Sunday I rode my MTB and Monday I road the Javaboy. I finally talked to Jeremy about my Diesel and what I wanted to do with it (it on it's way up to mecca). I am starting to gather up the parts to upgrade the bike (07 Hope Mono Mini brakes, XTR cranks, King hubs, etc).


I recently installed something new to my 29er. I am trying out a pair of Ergon P1M grips. At first look they remind me of hybrid/ cruiser grips. I know several top level racers that have been using them. If they are good enough for them why not, right? They are supposed to "prevent numb fingers, and painful hands and forearms". Setup is key. Getting the grips at the correct angle for your hands is very important. The grips feature an aluminium clamp similar to ODI lockons. The grips haven't moved on me even though there is only one clamp.

I only have 2 solid rides on the grips so I can't give you a complete review but, so far so good. I only had to adjust them a little on my first ride. Review coming soon......

It's raining buckets here in San Diego. On the upside I am 98% cured! I am even thinking about riding to work tomorrow. Crazy, I know.

Sunday there is a Track event happening at the Velodrome. I have been thinking of riding down and checking it out. It is Earth Day after all. If you find your self with nothing to do Sunday head down to Balboa Park. The races start around 9:00am and end around 4:00pm.

Sea Otter 2007 XC Course

Yes folks I am feeling much better....

Just in time for Tuesday Night Track racing! The season opener was last week but, with my compound sickness and house sitting, I couldn't make it. I did however cruise down this evening with Chewbacca aka Johnny G. Nate met us down at the track just in time to see The Chicken Sympathizer racing?!!!! He is the fastest vegan I know, heck he might be the only vegan I know. T pulled out the stops and broke away for a few laps. He ended up with 5th in the points race (25 laps).

I haven't been on my bike in two weeks and I am getting the itch. I think I might ride to work tomorrow. Anyway, I am off and will write soon.



Bike in the stand:
Bottechia

iTunes:
Band of Horses "The Funeral"

Socks:
"GrainBelt" Promo's

Update!
I found a new friend, Robitussin Honey Cough Drops!


*My name is Gordon and I have a problem.....

I have traded hanging out with friends, riding my bike, drinking beer and cleaning my house for an obsession. They are with me at all times, day and night. I need to kick my habit but, it's going to take awhile.

The first step is facing my demons.....Here they are;












I haven't had a cough drop in 10 minutes and my throat is itchy. I have to go now.