Clydesdales CAN Dance!

This year's event kicked off with a record 17 riders. Ridership dipped momentarily to 16 at the top of the bobsled run due to SM's "leave'm for dead" math but in the end we managed to avoid any major mishaps. Of course there were a couple of close calls, including an impromptu nose-wheelie-bailout that prompted one rider to comment "Clydesdales CAN dance!" In the end, all riders returned safely to base camp where we proceeded to ignite the bonfire and to see what surprises the post-ride festivities would bring.

They did not disappoint.

We'll start with "the contest." Last year's champion took a hiatus this year (sipping martinis with extended pinky finger), but competition was as fierce as ever and the crowd was split on the favorites.

• Entry #1 scored high in holiday spirit, craftsmanship, and creative incorporation of beer into the presentation. Bonus points for incorporation of a biking theme. The burn was only moderately intense but with very long duration.
• Entry #2 received a high score for debauchery, a deduction for a minor anatomical inaccuracy, and received a perfect 10 in the attitude department. The burn, initiated by special guest Henry Kissinger who really took the blowup doll by the ankles bull by the horns, was intense and scored high for leaving no trace except perhaps a couple of broken hearts.
• Entry #3 would normally have turned a couple of heads but struggled to get onto the judge's radar due to the caliber of entries #1 and #2. However points for effort and, yes debauchery.

The judges struggled to select a winner but after consulting the bylaws, were forced to disqualify entry #2 because beer was not physically incorporated into the actual entry (although there were some suggestions). So the panel awarded first prize and a year worth of bragging rights to...entry #1. Congratulations to MRDBS!

The competitive spirit of this group could not be contained as evidenced by this year's fire jumping competition (now an annual event thanks to AS' inspirational performance of '08). The kickoff was weak with a ho-hum corner jump but escalated rapidly into an impressive volley of middle jumps, middle jumps with beer smashes, and even some uphill jumps. And of course the inevitable bicycle-jumping phase ensued with some impressive performances turned in by two bikers and one blow-up doll, and resulted in only one chipped tooth ("Oh shit, I chipped a tooth"). But we proved yet again that there is no bar this group cannot raise (including the stupidity one) as the competition concluded with a first ever tractor-fire-jump that brought the crowd to their feet.

Around 11:00 the crowd had swelled to 20 and the kitchen served up 11 lbs of dead cow in the form of piping-hot homemade chili. Oh my God, this was just the ticket for a bunch of hungry bikers. The warm food calmed the rowdy crowd, we found our seats around the fire, and settled into more cerebral pursuits like "rip a new a-hole for anyone stupid enough to open their mouth" and getting all misty-eyed and sharing our fleeting memories of "J."

The group hung strong with very little attrition occurring before the first snowflakes fell around 2am (beginning of a nor'easter that dumped about 14" on us over the next 24 hrs). It was pretty cool - you could actually smell the snow. Things eventually started to unravel with a few disappearing acts (and a couple of reappearing acts which were met with much fanfare) and finally the dwindling group threw in the towel shortly before 4am.

Props to

• RV for trusting us on his first night ride, the snow-boarder helmet was a nice touch.
• KO for best decorated bike, festooned with tinsel and shiny dangley things.
• JA for best costume, allegedly borrowed from his nightstand "fun drawer."

And an event of this magnitude does not come off without a lot of help, so special thanks to:

• KO for letting us trash his back yard, again...
• MRDBS for his awesome catering, raising the bar yet again...
• DM for letting us raid his woodpile, and for sacrificing his tractor...

...and to everyone who made the pilgrimage. It takes some effort and lots of faith to turnout for an event like this in the middle of December, but the group makes the event and this year was a shining example.

Happy holidays and happy trails!

3rd Annual Bike, Bonfire, and Beer Exchange

Hold onto your hats, it is almost time for the 3rd annual Bike, Bonfire, and Beer Exchange ("Beer Exchange" for short).  

The Beer Exchange is our answer to the ladies' annual cookie exchange where (reportedly) they sip wine and eggnog while listening to christmas carols and swapping Christmas tree ornaments and home baked confections.  Now don't get me wrong, I am not complaining about the cookie angle (I personally benefit from that), but the whole thing left some of us wondering if Lyndenwood was becoming, well, a little "light in the loafers." So we instituted the Beer Exchange - a physically demanding (barely), low-brow (totally), utterly unsophisticated counterpoint to the cookie thing  and an opportunity for our fellowship of bikers (and biker wannabees) to celebrate the holidays in a manner befitting our sport.

The 2008 Beer Exchange will be on Friday 12/26.  Our low-brow format will be pretty basic:

• Bike.  It's a night ride, short format.
• Bonfire.  It's a big one, behind Carl's house.
• Beer.  Bring your own.

The evening will also feature a repeat of last year's big hit - the contest for best beer presentation.  Steve ran away with first place last year with an assortment of beers and low-brow reading material presented in a magnificent Longaberger basket (which was promptly incinerated in the bonfire).  Top that and you may win an entire year of bragging rights.

And in case there is an impromptu trivia contest, you may want a refresher on the sordid history of the Beer Exchange:

• Defiled Again
• Run up to Beer Exchange
• Beer Xchange
• Nothing Good Happens After 2AM

More information will be forthcoming during the run up to the 26th - precise time, review of open action items from last year (yes, we had action items), weather details, etc.  Mark it on your calendar with a big black X, charge up your light, and notify the wife and children that you will be MIA on the 26th.  Note: A few loaner lights are available for those that may need them, let me know ahead of time so I can coordinate.  

17 days - but who's counting?

Chris

Brotherly Love

Welcome back - Wednesday night we welcomed back an old soul who hadn't been seen in 8-9 months.  If he was rusty from the layoff, it was not readily apparent.  We thought about turning him on to the Lakeside trail but decided to save that for another day, better to witness the carnage in daylight.  Anyway we're hoping to see more of him on upcoming rides.  Also a little bird told me that another rider is completing knee rehab in the next week or so and is looking forward to getting a bike between his legs soon.  

MC race course - the problematic left hand turn in the baby head field has been effectively neutered.  Someone found Jim's line behind the big tree and blazed the new trail a mile wide.  Personally I think they went a little overboard but it is no longer a white-knuckle turn and you can enter the ensuing climb with some momentum which is nice.  Someone also removed a log-hop from the Entrail climb - another loss in my opinion but it appears some little biking-elves are committed "cleaning up" the course for November.  

Brotherly love - Rumor has it that Steve McLaughlin and his brother-in-law Chris Dougherty are engaged in a pissing match to see who can turn in the best time at the Nov 9 race.  McLaughlin muttering something about his "(very much) older brother in-law" and I think Chris retorting something about Steve's nice new bike "gathering moss" in the shed.  A good start on some trash talk that should lead to some stellar performance(s) on game day...  Keep up the good work guys!

Happy hour today - Lots of interest in a happy hour ride today, which should be spectacular now that real fall weather has finally arrived.  If you are interested please chime in with your time preferences/constraints.  We'll do the math and find the time that works best.

Sunday ride - will be a roadie to some unexplored territory up near Spring City.  We don't know much about these trails except that horses ride them (so they should be fertile) but we figured what the heck...  Again, chime in if interested.  We'll be shooting for an early departure on Sunday.  

That's all for now

Chris

"Just one more hill..."

Rookie Mistake

Welcome Steve M back to the ranks of the perpetually sore but always smiling biking gang after an 8 week hiatus. He may be sucking a little wind after those sleepless weeks in the rocking chair but he still pounded through every rock garden and over every treacherous bridge crossing we could throw at him.

On this ride he was also reminded of the value of being behind the buffoon who rides with one hand on the handlebars and head tipped back drinking from a water bottle, because when his front wheel hits that little dip in the trail his bike is going to step dead and he is going to take a serious spread-eagle trip over the handlebars with Gatorade spraying from the bottle, leaving his bike on the ground pointing the other way and handlebar imprints on the front of his thighs. This is why we are supposed to use Camelbacks (oh, and to avoid drinking from a water bottle contaminated by horse manure).

Thursday schedule is up in the air for some of us who have Indian Princess business to attend to that evening. I am throwing it out there in the interest of keeping Steve on the come-back path with the Thursday night ride. I am 40% probable -- if others are planning to ride please chime in so we can keep the candle burning...

Chris

Fleet Footed Fifth Graders

We rocked the Hibernia Duathlon today thanks to a couple of fleet footed fifth graders (Sara and Rebecca). They both turned in blistering times for both running legs of the race. The fact that they ended with ear to ear grins after 4.6 miles of trail running suggests that they may be destined for the podiums in the not too distant future. Their Dads are also thrilled because that means we have a lifetime "get out of running free" card for events of this sort. Everybody wins.

Steve strong armed his sister Christine into assuming the running duties for him (brilliant move) and he kindly offered to take her to Dunkin Donuts in appreciation (consensus was that maybe Le Bec Fin or equivalent would be more appropriate given the performance she turned in). Jim Taylor and his buddy Cliff had to leave before the awards ceremony but both turned in podium finishes in their respective classes (guys, I have your medals). Cliff also wins the "travelled farthest" prize coming all the way in from Colorado (I guess there is no good mountain biking in Colorado). Riley even broke every rule in the book when he brought his ride into MRDBS the day before the race. Fairly amazing that the bike survived the race with no mechanicals, maybe a first for an 11th hour MRDBS project.

The bike course was wicked fast with plenty of passing lanes (yes, we did a considerable amount of passing), very few real climbs, and some rockin' downhills. The weather was perfect - warm and slightly overcast with occasional sun and no rain until the drive home. What a great way to start out the season.

Weather looks perfect for this week, Thursday is a Chelsey's ride. It should be interesting to see what surprises are in store for the return trip on the new trail while we are carrying the "Chelsy's handicap" (this will be our first):

• Tuesday 8:30pm depart Lower
• Thursday 8:30pm depart Upper (Chelsy's)

It is almost time to flip one of the weekday rides to a morning ride. I am thinking Tuesdays at 6:15am for the following reasons:

• Keeps Thursday a night ride (I don't think we're ready for a Chelsy's morning ride)
• No conflict with Tuesday night Brickside
• Some guys have early starts at work. Set the alarm for 6:00 and be in the saddle at 6:15 (setting alarm for "five-something am" just sounds nuts).

If you are interested in morning rides and have other thoughts on day or time please let me know. I did a morning ride a couple of weeks ago and it was absolutely beautiful out there - I highly recommend making the effort, you will not regret it.

That's all for now,

Chris

"I brought my birdbook"

-- Steve McLaughlin (prerace banter explaining how serious he was about the race)

Hibernia Vibes

Solid ride tonight, trails are steadily improving. Ride did include some drama - high speed impact with some local wildlife. No harm done - rider and owl are both doing fine.

Hibernia is shaping up nicely with lots of positive vibes from the gang (see below). We even have a couple of family-relay entrants (great way to get out of the running part of the event). You still have almost 6 weeks to work up to a 2x2 mile jog in the woods (the bike part is easy - it's basically a Sunday ride with a sense of urgency). So snap yourself out of that winter funk, plunk that money down, and show your kids that the old codger still has some game. Current status:

Positive vibes, money plunked, officially have some game:

• JimT - first in class last year, obviously needs some more competition
• Chris - trying to set a good example

Positive vibes but money not yet plunked, TBD if they have game:

• MikeR - relay with wife Kristin (Kristin is marathoner)
• Andy - relay with daughter Megan (Megan is fired up)
• Steve - bought new bike for the event, so has skin in the game
• JimA - scheduling conflict, feverishly working on it
• MikeY - ready to jump in, just needs a push (or pull)
• Sebastian - ready to jump in, just needs a pull (or push)
• Bob - said it "sounds good" which I think means "all in"
• Jamie - says he is game, impressive since I don't think he has his bike yet

No vibes, no money, may be on life support:

• DaveC - it's time my warm weather friend...
• Matt - hello, anybody there? Where is that golf-outing game-face?
• DaveM - dude, do the relay with Kelly...
• Rob - time to rebound from the double-flat last year and show off those USTs
• Chris Dougherty - the perfect brother-in-law bonding experience
• Sean - didn't rule it out, but didn't rule it in either

No vibes, no money, no game -or- has a pretty good excuse:

• Kirk - family commitment (Sean's first communion)

click me now ==> registration <== click me now

Ride Schedule - I am traveling Saturday-Wednesday but I'll throw it out there: Sunday depart Upper @ 10am. Standard weekday ride schedule next week is Tuesday 8:30pm Upper** (**change) and Thursday 8:30pm Upper. Anyone feel free to amend (i.e., take Andy up on his Hibernia race course tour offer).

MO7S: Finally if you'd need to relive the fun of the past couple of years or read the banter from the last few races, I have archived some of our old emails in the form of a blog at http://mo7s.blogspot.com/. The first person to figure out "MO7S" wins a free pat on the back. Sebastian to review and judge all entries.

Chris

Nothing Good Happens after 2AM

A wise person once told me that "nothing good happens after 2am.". Based on my condition today, I think that person is very smart indeed. The last remaining brain cells we could collectively muster late last night concluded that it would be bad form for the kids at the bus stop to see us, so we threw in the towel at 4:30am. Brilliant.

Anyway thanks to everyone who turned out, we set a new high water mark of 13 riders and sustained only one mechanical. We did have at least two notable crashes - one in the mudpit at the top of the quarry trail, and one thudbuster at the bottom of the blue trail.

Winner of the "fancy presentation" prize goes to Steve. His gift basket presentation, complete with gift wrap and reading material was a big hit. Shannon however will not be seeing that basket again as it was subsequently used to stoke the fire.

Sebastian, who turned out in shorts and sandals, gets his trail. We just didn't get around to actually naming it yet - this remains on the team workplan as unfinished business.

Chris

Bueler?

I am up for the ride (unless raining at ride time) – we’ll ride high and dry. I badly need to work out the rigor mortis that has set into my legs since the Sunday ride. As for others, here is what I have heard:

• Jim - traveling today but maybe home in time for a quickie (or two)?
• DaveC – making noises about getting back into the game now that football is done, no time like the present?
• Sebastian – fiddled with banged up cassette on Sunday, maybe good night for a shakedown?
• Kirk – took Thursday and Sunday off so, itching to ride back into the headlines?
• Steve – mom and baby sitting on Sunday, looking for a chest thumping testosterone boost?
• Others? Bueler?? Anybody???

Chris

Fair Hill First Timers

A proper recap of yesterday's ride has to include footnotes from the night before, both involving Irishmen:

Spontaneous beer drop due to failure of the opposing digit to grasp a beer. Accompanying slurred speech and balance issues suggest that keg beer may have been a contributing factor.

Last man standing entertaining the ladies into the wee hours of Sunday (they we duly impressed). Included late night departure and then unexpected return on the lawn tractor, to continue hydration and entertainment for the ladies benefit.

Both individuals overcame long odds and showed up for the early morning departure on Sunday, a little green around the gills but still game for a ride. True Irishmen!

Sunday departure went better than expected - only 12 minutes of "dorking around" - which is a record for a group of this size (10). For the one hour drive we ignored GPS and were treated to another "Sebastian back road special" which got us to Fair Hill in a little over an hour. Unfortunately the back roads also got one rider carsick, and he spent 5 minutes in the WaWa bathroom getting himself straightened out before the ride.

The ride commenced with a jaunt over to the orange trail to see what the trail guide meant by "rolling terrain with ocasional steep climbs." It was apparently a typo and should have read the opposite. We got a nice view of the practice track (made us tired just looking at it - it's huge) and eventually worked our way over to the east side of the park on some really sweet single track which included a pretty hairy and rocky descent (so much fun that we did it again later in the day). We had lunch by the river and were treated to the arrival of about 20 horseback riders complete with rider in chaps and another alledgedly displaying signs of a long day in the saddle (or excess saddle soap, still unresolved).

We experienced the normal course of mechanical failures and crashes. Notables:

• Crash resulting in turf being embedded into the sidewall of a tire. We are still puzzling over the physics of that one.
• Family jewels embedded into toptube of a bike. The physics of that one are readily understood by anyone with jewels.
• Jim wins the pink polka dots for this ride. For those of you familiar with the Tour de France, the pink polka dot jersey goes to the best hill climber in the mountains. Jim had no equal on the hills yesterday.

Overall a great day in the saddle even with all the navigational challenges (resulted in some dead ends and open field crossings). See the attached satelite image to view our track.

I think that covers the highlights.

Weekday ride schedule:

• Tuesday night (8:30pm) UL
• Thursday morning (6:30am) LL

Chris

Crusty Stuff

The early morning departure Sunday morning was a stretch (especially for those with some Irish in the family) but it paid off with the proverbial pot of gold. Crust was rock hard, smooth as a baby’s bum, and gripped like Spiderman. We covered every inch of the park even taking two trips past MDBRS. Steve got some “on the job training” on bike repairs by the dam, quite a few laughs but I can’t figure out how to explain it without triggering your corporate email filters so you’ll just have to ask someone who was on the ride. We did experience a couple of bouts of attrition near the end of the ride, but logged a solid FOUR hours on the trails, ending with tanks absolutely bone dry. The last couple of falls (sideways, not enough energy for an endo) actually felt pretty good – warm sun, snow nice and soft, could have laid there until spring…

Unfortunately temperatures are moderating this week so it looks like the last opportunity to ride this stuff will be tomorrow morning. I have an early meeting so can’t do it, but if anyone has the flexibility you might consider it. Biking prospects for this week:

Monday warm with rain – sloppy, no good
Tuesday and Wednesday night forecast is mid-20s. Maybe a night ride if things freeze up by 8pm. Let me know if you are interested, and we’ll touch base by phone around supper time.
Thursday low 38 – sloppy, no good

If the biking doesn’t work out then maybe a good week to do some cross training – break out the running shoes and the kayaks. We will want to log some time in the canoes before the Savage, but some flat water paddling in the kayaks is also an option (logistically easier as well). Remember wet suit if you have one and don’t paddle alone.

Time to hit the treadmill (kidding).

Chris