Chrome Fork Crown

Advice From A Legend

2012-02-13T22:08:00.003-06:00

When ultra endurance and RAAM legend Lon Haldeman stopped by the shop the other day I thought Id ask him for a piece of advice on Trans Iowa. This was the first time that I had ever met Lon, but knew a lot about him since he was sponsored by the first bike shop that I worked at when I was 16, RRB cycles.

I asked him about staying awake for longer than 24 hours and any tricks that he had. He responded with "How long is Trans Iowa"....I said "the record time is 25 hours, but I'd like to do it in 30 hours". Lon then said..."30 hours....you should be able to stay awake for 30 hours!"

HAHA, thanks for the advice....not all of us are cycling legends!!!

Lon was super cool and it was cool to see him in the store. Bob, my boss was his RAAM mechanic for 3 Race Across Americas, and is still his go to guy. Lon mentioned to have a good light and in his experience he would take the extra weight in batteries for a good light in order to stay awake....

All things to consider

- JB

Week in Recap

2012-02-12T20:02:00.002-06:00

Very cold weather hit northern Illinois this week. Was able to log 190 miles for the week with some very frigid commutes in the single digit to negative temps with the windchill and 20-40 mph winds on somedays. After riding home it feels like a great accomplishment everytime even to only have ridden 12 miles one way. It is great to be a part of nature....the good, the bad, and the ugly. Of course I might be cursing it one second...but reflecting on my time spent on the bike makes me smile and happy to have the miles under my legs. Had a great 35 mile ride with some nice hills today. The sun was out and even though it was only 30 degrees I had a fantastic ride and was able to let go of any thought and just tune into the ride.... Get out there!

- JB

Jeff Williams

2012-02-08T22:40:00.004-06:00

A HUGGGGEEEEEE Congrats to my very talented friend Jeff Williams for making it into Bicycle Times! Jeff has been painting forever and his love of cycling has pushed him into making some beautiful artwork. He has recently been traveling to different cycling related shows selling prints and finally was noticed by some very well known folks. I have some of his prints that are waiting to be framed and are going to be displayed in the new shop, with a possible visit from Jeff at the upcoming Art of the Bike night including art, bikes, music, and drinks at the Wheel Werks.

To see Jeff's art up close is unreal. The colors used immediately grab your attention and draw you into the subject matter of the painting as if you were almost there. The paint is thick and has a great texture as well. I love the vintage subject matter such as the epic duel between Coppi and Bobet at the Giro (look up the original photo and then look at Jeff's version....awesome), steel bikes, quill stems, down tube shifters, metal water bottles....a part of cycling which has been outdated but not forgotten!! My love of the traditional side of cycling is perfectly captured in Jeff's artwork.

He is selling canvas prints of his work (not limited to what I have shown) for a very reasonable price. If you are interested let me know and I can get you in touch with him to get some art!!!

Again, Congrats Jeff!

- JB

Monday Solo Fixed

2012-02-06T20:23:00.003-06:00

Today was a solo 57 mile fixed gear ride. The temp called for a high of 48 with sun....and again I was let down by the weather man. The temps were very cold and the 20mph winds from the west made it feel even colder out. I forgot my balaclava or neck gaitor and my face froze the entire way. Got a snack to eat in McHenry at Taco Bell and warm up for a second. Was glad to get out despite the cold weather and put in some more miles...

- JB

Lake Geneva Fixed

2012-02-05T15:10:00.002-06:00

Got on the road with Mike, Molly, and Ray (all fantastic mountain bikers) for a ride up to Lake Geneva, WI. We were all on different bikes...I was on the surly fixed gear (44x14...was too low for some hills in Bull Valley), Mike was on his custom seven belt drive single speed, Molly was riding the 1x10 Salsa Chili, and Ray was on his 19lb rigid Scott 29'er. We had a headwind out of the north on the way up and I got to ride some new roads and with some new friends. The temperature was a nice 42 degrees and the sun kept peeking in and out of some cloud cover. Got in 53 miles and the legs were tired from riding all week on the pugsley and the hills burned me up on the fixie. Was able to log 220 miles this week and will continue to bump up the mileage this month. Looking forward to another long ride tomorrow with temps close to 50 degrees. Also, I found my new commuting route through bull valley with 3 massive hills over 18% grade and a ton of rollers....should be great to train on for trans iowa. Hope you are out riding!

- JB

Arrowhead 135

2012-02-01T20:53:00.004-06:00

Congrats to Charlie Farrow and Jason Buffington who won the running division and set a new record!!! And to all those that braved the cold and snow in the Arrowhead 135. There are some great photos including this one on Jeremy Kershaw's blog. Thinking that maybe this would be a very cool race to participate in. Bravo men.

- JB

January Stuff

2012-02-01T09:45:00.003-06:00

Campy baby!

Todd's Custom Moots RSL with bead blasted King cages to match the frame....sweeeeeeeet

Its the little things you know?

55 mile ride on Monday took 4.5 hours on the beast

This is a vintage, complete, campagnolo tool kit.....AMAZED

The riding for January is complete and regardless of taking a week off for vacation, I was able to hammer out 500 miles on the dot. I met my goal and have been commuting nearly every day, 25-35 miles and getting some riding in on the weekends. Goal for Feb is 800-1000 miles.

The shop is still cranking and we are seeing some amazing bikes come through here, and some really cool stuff like this vintage campagnolo tool kit that my boss is trying to buy from a customer....saw one on ebay in france selling for 4500 dollars....damn!

Weather has been unseasonably warm and I hope it stays warm to keep hammering some miles. I feel like riding the pugsley this last month has really burned up the legs and has been good for training. I hope to hop on the fixed gear and cross bike soon to get some longer rides going.

Keep at it!

- JB

Wheel Werks Custom Builds

2012-01-26T22:10:00.002-06:00

Belt drive, stainless cog

My new favorite company: Seven Cycles

Secret TIV8 machine: Bilenky Tandem. Giggles, Ari, and I will take turns resting on the front during the night shift after the second checkpoint.

New BMC Time Machine. This is my boss.....he is a cool guy....he likes titanium, steel, the Grateful Dead, Audi Wagons, and beer. We get along very well.

Integrated Front Brake

Every day at Wheel Werks Custom Bikes is an experience. I have seen soooo many cool bikes come in and out of the shop. Custom Merlins, Waterfords, Moots, Sevens, BMC's, Cervelos....the list goes on. I love working with high end stuff....

- JB

More Riding, More Training

2012-01-26T10:22:00.003-06:00

Cruising to find some snowy roads...new gore-tex booties keeping my feet warm and dry

Cock. Pit.

Snow covered gravel...this was a fun road

Stopped to take an hour long nap on this hammock and reflect on my ride

It was cold, and it was windy, and I loved it.

Training and riding have been happening on the regular. I now have internet at the new apartment so I should be posting more often. Getting 25-35 mile rides in nearly 5-6 days a week. Over 400 miles for the month and on my way to my goal of over 500 for the month to stay on target with my Trans Iowa training. Trying to follow suit with last year....500 in Jan, 800 in Feb, and 1000 in March. All of course being weather dependent. So far the weather hasn't been able to hold me off to much. I have ridden in 10 below windchills, snow storms, rain, ice...its all good, and all thanks to the pugsley. The weird thing is the more I ride the bike, the tires are starting to look normal size. Getting back on the cross bike is going to be challenging when it gets a little warmer. Hope all is good and the riding is continuing for everyone out there!

- JB

Snow Rides

2012-01-18T16:55:00.002-06:00

I am so glad they didn't plow the bike path

These tall grasses lined the trail, great sight when the light hit them at the right angle

My commute to work...slednecks have already been on the trails.

So far the rides have been continuous. 35 miles Sunday, 35 miles Monday, 25 miles in a snowstorm on Tuesday...all on the fat bike!

If you don't have one of these you need one!

- JB

Slender Fungus Dark Pugsley

2012-01-12T19:51:00.003-06:00

The beast is fully operational and just in time for the first snow of the midwest. The frame was stripped and frame saved. Every part was re-greased and installed. Green accents include: Salsa Seatpost clamp and skewers (which I had to buy two sets), Green ergon grips mounted to H-bars. Green jagwire ripcord cable system (had to buy two kits since the hog runs full housing). Thomson seatpost and stem (25.4 of course), green brooks saddle (worn so it looks black), green chris king headset....BB is to folllow. Time pedals, BB7 brakes, MWOD double crankset....this thing is ready to destroy some snow!!!

Get out and ride.... also, Wheel Werks has one of these bikes left, it is extremely rare as these are sold out, if interested get a hold of me, its an 18".

Chin up...Zipper Down

- JB, Slender FUNgus

Get DEEEEEEP

2012-01-12T10:05:00.000-06:00

Deep Custom from Royal Antler on Vimeo.

New Year 2012

2012-01-05T10:35:00.002-06:00

Got out for 45 miles on NYE with the new boss and group of riders. The bonk king can be spied in the back row.

Had an excellent year of cycling this year with my most mileage ever. Did just under 10,000 miles with 9400, wish I could have squeezed in that last 600 to get into 5 digits. Maybe this year...

The new year promises to be a great one. I have a new job at Wheel Werks in Crystal Lake and am fine tuning my skills to the high level of service and caliber of this shop. I hope to learn some new skills and hopefully some more about fitting on the bicycle. Bob (the bossman) is going to Retul me in the next coming weeks with help from a physical therapist (Todd) to help me work out some neck and knee issues I've been having from sitting somewhat crooked.

A few target races are on my radar:

1) Trans Iowa - This race is a must finish for me. I look forward to riding with Ari and Giggles and conquering the beast. If the weather is good I will destroy myself for a finish. This is THE target race for the year. Thanks to my boss for sponsoring the event as well, and as usual Guitar Ted for putting this great race on....very excited

2) The Royal 162 - Two weeks after TI, the Royal and Almanzo in Rochester, MN take place. 162 miles of sloppy gravel and rolling hills. Excited to head up to this one. Going to cruise up with the Bonk King who is helping to support the event, and my good friend Joel is going to race the Almanzo so we will get to ride together for a while.

3) DK200 - I think that my redemption for DK will be put on hold as $60 is money I don't have right now from my move up north and I might have a prior engagement. We shall see...

4) Gravel Worlds - Hopefully heading to the Mecca of gravel grinding: Lincoln, Nebraska. Strong STRONG riders are known to inhabit the area and amazing riding is supposed to be in the area. Hoping to join the PCL for some acti0n come August.

5) The Heck of the North - I will return stronger this year and hopefully finish top 20... No more heavy drinking the night before, will give myself ample time to get ready, will drink plenty of fluids before the race and during. How can you not love those DBD guys...looking forward to hanging with them again!

Goals for TI base training include a similar plan to last year. 500 miles in Jan, 800 in Feb, and 1000 in March. My new pugsley (pics to come) will help push the mileage and fitness into the frigid winters in northern Illinois.

Heading for a brief vacation in TX with my mom and brother. Hopefully can clear my mind of some negative thoughts, recharge, and hit the rest of the month with some great miles. Don't let your meat loaf...chin up and zipper down!

Happy New Year and thanks for reading this blog!

- JB

Riding in the new Habitat

2011-12-28T13:49:00.003-06:00

Back to the normal habitat: gravel up in northern Illinois...wonderful

Rode past this crazy tree the other day, at first I thought that there were birds in it. On second glance it was all shoes!

I've been settling in a little more here in Crystal Lake. Getting some hours at the new shop and meeting some of the riders in the area. Was able to get a metric century in with the Bonk King, and Wheel Werks Bob on Monday, 30 mile commute Tuesday...150-250 miles per week since Illinois is dry as a bone with no snow yet, I'm taking full advantage and getting some miles in.

Chrome Fork Crown wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!!

Get out for a New Years Day ride with some friends and make a goal for yourself in the coming season. Go longer, get more miles, do a grand fondo, get a bike you have always dreamed of.... you get the idea.

2011 was a great one for me, 2012 is going to be even better!!!

Don't let it loaf....

- JB

The Eagle Has Landed

2011-12-19T19:40:00.003-06:00

Found the new route to work, about 12-13 miles. Rode with Bob (the owner of WW), The Bonk King, and Ron.

Official winter bike of the slender fungus.....will have this thing pimped out later this week, Black with Green accents....you just wait!!!

Very fun and exciting things going on with the new shop....great builds, rearranging the store, getting ready for an awesome year!

Rode 40 miles on Sunday, 35 miles today, figuring out a fitting and knee issue I have going on right now, hoping that riding the pugsley in a different riding position than the gunnar will help, also with a different saddle. Have some good pics from todays ride, will post them tomorrow....gear up for the holidays

Don't let your freaking meat loaf!!!

- JB

Moving On Up...Literally

2011-12-13T11:06:00.003-06:00

I'm officially heading out of Springfield, IL and making the move up to Crystal Lake, IL......no not the Crystal Lake with the slasher Jason in it! This is a very nice suburb of Chicago and has a little bit more money then down here in Springfield.

I have accepted a Head Mechanic/Manager position at a very high end shop called Wheel Werks. Owner Bob Olsen has been in the industry for a long time and is known for being Lon Haldeman's main mechanic as well as a fit guru. He is a master with multiple fit systems including ReTul. I am very excited to be a part of this new shop and help progress the business. I know I can bring a lot of experience here as well as learn a lot from Bob as well.

I am going to miss all my friends down in the south. You guys have been great and always treated me like part of your own family. You took my riding to a whole different level and I am very thankful for that. There are some VERY VERY strong riders down here and I saw my fitness jump levels just riding with them consistently. I logged my highest year in miles so far...going on 9100 miles for the year and still going, and thats again thanks to the riders down here. There was always a group ride or someone that wanted to put in a long mileage day...on any day of the week. It was great. I will miss you guys a lot!!! I am very much looking forward to being near more gravel roads to train on, being 20 minutes from my girlie, and 1 hour train ride into Chicago where my close friends live. This move is going to be great, I know it!!! Bigger and better things!!! If you're down south by Springfield, give Matt at Wheel Fast a shout and head out on a ride with some great riders in the area. Much Love.

- JB

Fat Bike Mike

2011-12-12T16:46:00.002-06:00

Great shot of the bonk king riding dirty during a Fat Bike race up in WI

Trans Iowa V8

2011-12-04T17:57:00.003-06:00

On the roster for TIV8!!!! Training has already begun and getting in some high mileage weeks already, my new necromancer pugsley will add to the winter training, and the new shop is even planning on sponsoring TIV8, good things are coming in 2012!

Ride time

2011-12-04T17:52:00.001-06:00

Nice high mileage week with 225 total miles in this week. Had a good 75 miler on the cross bike with Mark Shea...trying to keep up with him for 75 miles on his road bike was a challenge but I did it. We stopped at subway, had a sandwich, and read the paper.... Moving in 8 days as my job down here ended shorter than expected. Excited for the move and new opportunity.

- JB

Commutes

2011-11-29T12:03:00.003-06:00

Owl Graffiti stencil under a main highway

The bell tower in the park has lights on it that turn all different colors, very neat

Cruising through the park

I love riding. I love commuting. I love riding in the dark. I love taking pictures and enjoying time spent on the bike while saving gas money. You should also like this.

- JB

Calling All Gumbys

2011-11-28T18:38:00.001-06:00

If your name is:

Arik Gum

If you:

Are the owner of Gum trucking

If you:

Are building a pugsley and need parts on the cheap

Please email me.... jay.barre@yahoo.com

Cass-Morgan Fall Cycling Classic 130

2011-11-22T09:46:00.004-06:00

The group leaving from Jacksonville... Dale mean muggin

The entire route was a big loop along these roads right on a bluff, very scenic

Our biggest group of the day consisted of 8 riders...not bad for a start up ride in November

Cutting the wind

Caseys for a quick stop

So, a long time customer and good friend of the shop: Nathan Carls, decided to have a nice metric century in November and invited us to all come to it. I spoke with some friends and invited a lot of people. Jason Fergurson "Ferg", who lives in Jacksonville and calls the shop nearly every day responded and said that he wanted to join and that we should ride out from J-ville to Beardstown where the ride began. I thought this sounded like a wonderful idea. The ride from J-ville to Beardstown was about 25-35 miles depending on the route. He gathered some chronies including my good friend Dale, new friend Jason Embry and Rob Delaney. We met up at 8 a.m. ( I left my house at 6:30 a.m.) and cruised North with a light headwind. I had ridden in Jacksonville once or twice but there are some really nice rollers and very peaceful roads out that way. Dale had to flip before Beardstown to head home and the rest of us made it to Beardstown in about two hours with 35 miles in before the ride. We met up with the Beardstown group: Nathan Carls, Travis Schroll, Jeremy Alcorn, and a very hungover Steve Graves "The Gravemaker". We said our hellos and then started riding back out towards the bluffs. A very steep initial hill got the legs burning and I was looking forward to many more hills. The route was awesome and we all enjoyed each others company and cracked jokes as usual. A brief gas station stop was pleasant and thanks to Nathan for picking up the tab! We got back on the bikes chilly from the stop but the hills soon warmed us up again. The headwind from the north began to pick up a bit towards the end of the ride and the group was feeling it a little bit. We ended the ride in Beardstown, said our goodbyes and Ferg, Jason, and I made the trek back to Jacksonville. We cruised with a nice tailwind and our conversations began to die down as the legs got heavier. I was very pleasantly surprised from Jason Embry's ride. He has put 4000 miles in this year as his first actual road season, dropped a lot of weight, and was keeping up with seasoned riders on his longest ride ever! Great ride Jason! We stumbled into Jacksonville with a sprint finish to burn up what little energy our legs had left. I felt good to be on the cross bike and still have energy left in the legs. 130 miles total for the day. We cleaned up and regrouped at Jason's beautiful home for coffee and whiskey. A great time was had by all and was thankful to ride some new roads with some new friends and get a long ride in towards the end of the year! Thanks Nathan for putting this together!

- JB

Big Week

2011-11-21T17:28:00.001-06:00

Logged in a solid 280 miles last week. Ended with a long 130 mile ride with some good folks on Sunday. Ride report to come tomorrow. Embrace the cold!!! Ride your bikes!!!

- JB

Firefly

2011-11-18T10:09:00.001-06:00

Check out this great article on welding titanium from Firefly Bicycles. Also, their blog has some absolutely gorgeous bicycles that they have been making.... don't drool too much.

Wednesday Metrico

2011-11-17T11:40:00.003-06:00

Nothing to do with my ride yesterday...just a shot I took driving up north last weekend

Stopped ~ Salisbury-ish

Scenic outlook, really nice hills in this area

Cruisin ~ Athens-ish

Feminist ~ New Salem-ish

Well as usual the weather forcast was wrong. I knew it wasn't supposed to rain or anything like that but 10 mph winds....yea right! Try 20-30 mph winds from the north. This is a rare occurance and gave me a good reason to head out and do my favorite metric century in the area. It heads through Salisbury to Athens then to Petersburg back through New Salem and then home. Had horrible winds on the way out, I would look at the computer and be going 10 mph while struggling on the pedals. Hit some great hills in this area, and even though I was battling a cold felt good on the bike. The weather (other than the wind) was chilly but a beautiful fall day and I was glad to get some miles in while there was no snow on the ground. 130 miles so far this week, hope to tack on another 150+ before weeks end with a 100+ ride on Sunday, let me know if you are interested. Otherwise, as usual.... go riding for goodness sake!

- Cookie

11 Lessons

2011-11-15T09:56:00.003-06:00

1) Don't let your meat loaf! - Get out and put some miles in. It doesn't matter what kind of bike you have, if you are decked out in Assos or Castelli....just get out and ride!

2) Ride your own race - There are some extremely strong riders out there, don't let them set the tempo for your ride. Especially on endurance rides know your pace and what you are comfortable with doing. Don't go balls out and bonk and then be screwed the rest of the ride.

3) Have FUN on the bike - We ride bikes because we enjoy doing it, if you aren't having fun then you need to rethink why you are riding. The fun might not come until after the ride or race but thats ok... races are hard. You trained and trained for this race, enjoy every minute of it, before, during, and after.

4) Chin up/Zipper Down - Have a mentally tough attitude. You need to tell yourself you are capable of anything you put your mind to.... if you don't you are setting yourself up for failure. Stay strong and work past those dark spots.

5) Keep Moving - When enough is enough and you are ready to throw in the towel...DON'T. Take a break, have an energy bar, clear your mind for a little bit.... but keep going and don't give up.

6) Don't over-pack - Know what you absolutely NEED to bring on the bike. Tubes, chain links, tools, etc. Know what nutrition works for you, but also rely on gas stations and other stops in order to keep the weight down on the bike.

7) Train with a partner - Riding with someone else allows you to go farther, share ideas, ride harder

8) Take your turn - In a race make sure that you are doing your part at the front taking pulls and sharing the responsibility. Also, take turns hosting rides, having get togethers, buying a round of beer.

9) Stay humble - No one likes a showboater. Stay down to earth...even if you are the fastest guy out there you never know what the race course is going to throw at you or what challenges you are going to encounter. Everyone has good days and everyone has bad days. Don't make excuses...its just the way of the world.

10) Be patient - In the race, don't get jumpy, don't get antsy....wait for the moves to come, if you can counter them then go for it. If you get dropped...hang tough, ride hard and catch up. In the endurance races you never know if Gorilla is going to get 7 flats off of the front, be patient and stay calm....races are won this way.

11) Be supportive - Support your fellow riders. Encourage them, help them if they need it. Support your local bike shop...give them some business and tell them about your races, maybe they will sponsor you. Support the races and organizers, even if these are free races see how you can help out...bring a six pack for the race organizer and thank them for most likely putting on a free event that ate up a lot of their time.

Yes, some of these are very similar to a lot of other "11 lessons" posted on Charlie Farrow's blog but these are experience that I have learned and are still working on personally. Get out there and ride!

- JB

Winter Training

2011-11-14T11:10:00.003-06:00

Winter training vehicle of the Slender Fungus.... Hopefully getting my dirty little paws on one of these for some great winter rides. I know the Bonk King is ITCHING to race some fat bikes!

Still working on my 11 lessons.... post to come, probably not as great as Charlie's but it will be on my own lessons and experiences learned, and what I still aim to learn

Pushing past 250 miles this week hopefully

- JB

Lesson Plan

2011-11-11T17:28:00.003-06:00

Working on 11 of my own after reading an inspiring set of lessons learned by a very talented and bright man, Charlie Farrow of the DBD.

Read his 11 lessons learned here. Stuff like this helps me push past my limits and improve as a rider.

Thank you Mr. Farrow.

- JB

Marty Likes To Ride His Bicycle Down Hills

2011-11-10T11:37:00.002-06:00

Marty Larson and Benjamin Witt hit a nice gravel decent....wish I lived up north with that crowd, awesome group of people and riders

Pushing Past That Dark Place

2011-11-08T11:43:00.002-06:00

While riding the other night I found myself doing laps in the park that is a couple blocks from my house. There is a 2 mile loop with a very nice climb in the park that gets the legs burning by the end. I train in this park on a regular basis and was planning on doing 25 miles in the park just as a recovery day. I started to get a little tired of the same loop time after time and quickly found myself saying...well maybe I could just do ten laps, or maybe just 8 laps then head home..... NOOOO, this is the slug inside of me wanting to be lazy. This was one of the last decent days that we would probably have this season, I needed to fight this urge to be off the bike and keep pedaling!!!!

I have encountered this feeling several times in some of the races I have been in this year as well as the rides that I have done this year. The hardest of all of them was the Fruit Loop... After mile 180, Ari, BB, and I started to get light headed, started seeing things, talking nonsense, not being able to hold a line.... you get the point. We stopped several times for coffee and to talk and laugh and make sure we would finish this ride. At the end of the 260 miler we were wiped out. I felt enough energy to finish with 70 more miles (Trans Iowa distance....I know its do-able), but it wouldve been a struggle to get back on the bike. I fought the demons off during the night and that sunrise gave new strength to our legs as the finish was close..... Trans Iowa will be even worse, unfamiliar ground, new roads, many more hills, and who knows about the weather. Something I have thought a lot about (almost every day) since last April. Giggles has sent me scarily accurate accounts to what it might be like out on the roads....we must finish

Other rides like DK200 left me soaking wet on un-rideable roads in the middle of Kansas. We decided to quit since the route was not rideable....HOW STUPID, the best thing that I learned from this race was that from now on, I WILL NOT QUIT!!!! I should've kept riding any road to get to the checkpoint as the setup was a little more relaxed than T.I., I have to think and fight the urge to stop....easier said then done after 140 miles and 100 degree temps.

The Heck of the North made me want to weep.... I was verbally grunting and moaning on some of the trail sections. I wanted to yell out and curse Jeremy Kershaw....instead I told myself I drove 10 hours to be here, to be in this great state, to ride with some of the best gravel grinders and to PUT UP A FIGHT!!! And I fought through hours of cramps and some nasty gravel to finish in a decent time (in my opinion).

When the going gets tough, don't give up.... don't quit.... RESIST THE URGE, keep moving, keep going, and keep fighting!!!!!

- JB

A Great Loss to the Midwest: Goodbye Ari

2011-11-03T10:20:00.003-05:00

One of my best friends, my mentor, president of the Slender Fungus, local legend, gravel grinder...Ari, has moved to Syracuse, NY. I am extremely saddened to have him leave. I will miss him greatly and his presence in the area. I am very happy to have him get a great job at a great shop, move to an exciting area, and help his family grow together.

I will miss our rides together, just the two of us, where we would talk about anything and everything. This was one of the few people where I could open up and tell absolutely anything to and know he wouldn't judge me but have my back and give me the best advice he could, a true friend.

I will miss his presence in the midwest with the Slender Fungus, the brutal training rides that we would go on (the fruit loop, bonk fest, wolfy 100, etc.), or just the short rides where we would laugh at anything and everything.

The one in the yellow is a theif! I look forward to meeting Giggles and Ari again in Iowa after they train hard this winter in the hills of NY.

Ari taught me how to build wheels correctly and gave me guidance on a lot of my mechanical abilities even though we overlapped at NCC for a short time. He introduced me to gravel road racing and for that I will be forever thankful, it is a true passion now. I know the move was for the better...and I sound like a whiny teenage girl here, but I will miss my training partner, my mentor, and my friend. Good luck to Ari and the rest of the fam out in New York, train hard, enjoy life, see you in Iowa my freind!

- JB

Riding Last Week

2011-11-01T16:51:00.003-05:00

Heading into the sunset with the Gravemaker

A lot of commuting last week, was able to ride every day with rides ranging from 25-45 miles in length. I accomplished 230 total miles, after a measly 60 the week before. Felt great to get some strength back in the legs and cruise at my own pace to get the training miles in. Hope to hit over 200 miles this week and end the year with 9K-10K total miles. Get out and ride while the weather is still nice! Daylight savings hits soon!

- JB

Bartlett Cyclocross

2011-10-28T12:17:00.003-05:00

Kid's Cyclocross

Whose girlfriend says "Lets go to the cyclocross race today." - Awesome

The bottleneck

The werewolf....stalking prey in Bartlett

Barry Wicks creepin

Brian Conant....gunnin it off the start

The beast known as B.C. hung in there for 3rd place - Awesome

Barry Wicks destroyed everyone....

I love watching Cyclocross races. That is all. If you have the chance to go watch one, pick up a six pack of cans, stake out a good spot to watch, and enjoy the race!

- JB

Zooma Half Marathon

2011-10-27T12:44:00.004-05:00

Ari's wife Jamie, all smiles

Ari found a new home and was "racooning"

My awesome girlie....finishing 14/323 and 2nd in her age group!

Jamie finishing up just over 2 hours, great run!

Jill's friend Jean bringing it home

The ladies after the race, all smiles

10 a.m. wine drinking

This cover band was awesome! Check out that coat!

Gambling

My great friends that I have lost to the one they call "Giggles"....no laughing matter

This past weekend, the men of the Slender Fungus went to support our ladies in a half marathon. Everyone ran great and we had a beautiful day for the event up in Fontana, WI. The Wisconsin hills punished the women on their run and Jill did an awesome run with an 8:10 average. I was very impressed. We then enjoyed some New Glarus beer and greasey food at a local bar, chatted about life, and then headed home. What a great weekend! I went to check out the cyclcocross race in Bartlett the next day....pics to come

- JB

Gypsy Criterion

2011-10-21T10:17:00.003-05:00

SFCA headquarters

Gumby's awesome Pugsley paint job

Rainy start to the ride

I will greatly miss my riding partner

The gravel dried out right away and was perfect

Jamie and Ari

7 laps = 7 beans

The Gypsy Criterion had a slow start as The Bonk King, Gumby, and I lined up to ride and wondered where everyone was. Ari and family were sorting through boxes to find cycling clothes for everyone, B.B. and company were in an alcohol induced coma, Uncle Velos showed up shortly for 2 laps, and the last lap Jakey La Cruz showed up for a lap. The ride started with a lot of rain and we wondered if it was going to be like that for 100 miles. As usual...a few of us toughed it out and started riding, rain or shine. The next couple of laps the skies cleared up and the day looked to be getting nicer. The route was perfect and there was no cars on the roads. The loop was about 9 miles long. Ari and I pushed on for 7 laps and called it since he had some family obligations to get to. We spoke about his move to NY and details on the move. I was sad to think this was my last ride with my close friend until Trans Iowa of next year, that really bummed me out! Ended the day with 65 miles and then went pumpkin picking with the girlyfriend. Heading up north this weekend with Jill to watch her and Jamie (Ari's wife) run a half marathon. They have been so good to us with our gravel racing that we need to return the favor. Few miles this week, hope to get more next week. Cheers.

- JB

The Past Couple Of Weeks

2011-10-20T12:34:00.003-05:00

Mukluk 2 in stock at Wheel Fast

I was not shocked when I saw this sticker on the back of Ari's car....

Beautiful Sunset over lake Springfield on my commute home the other evening.

Secret project in the works....

Craig Baumann = THE MAN!!! Thanks so much for the Durango Brewing Co Beer!

He tried to pull a fast one on me and hide a MGD in the mix....always keepin it classy!

Gypsy Criterion post coming tomorrow....however there is not much to be said

- JB

Gypsy Caravan

2011-10-19T21:17:00.000-05:00

Full Ride recap is in the works....don't get your panties in a bunch

- JB

Gypsy Criterion 10/16/11

2011-10-14T10:33:00.002-05:00

Heading North this weekend for...sadly....Ari's last Midwest Slender Fungus Ride. The Gypsy CriterION, will consist of boozing, debauchery, gypsy antics, "tokens", hopefully no "crystals", and riding a 10 mile gravel loop 10 times to get to the magic 100 miles. I have been growing my beard out to fit into this new Gypsy clan of riders. Looking forward to riding with some great people and laughing until I shit my pants.

- Cookie Monster

Riding as of late

2011-10-13T12:25:00.003-05:00

My commute this morning, tons of fresh leaves on the trail after a storm

The church trails covered in leaves, I try and incorporate these mountain bike trails into my commute as often as possible

Took a 55 mile ride on the cross bikes with the racers up to some trails by New Salem. This is an example of idiot drunk drivers...and how euro cool andy lister is

Cruisin, beautiful day

Andy says to Mike..."Hey lets go check out those mountain bike trails" and then he gets two flats and proceeds to take us on the worst mountain bike trails I have EVER ridden

Sunset on my commute home

Currently one of two bikes that I own....my Surly Steamroller....I love this bike

Get some nuts and ride your bikes

- JB

Premium Rush

2011-10-11T16:06:00.000-05:00

Is this for real??? Modern day Quicksilver?

Some Friends

2011-10-08T15:54:00.000-05:00

I made some friends up north.... Two of my favorite beers...

Drink up and ride your bikes! Chin up, Zipper down!

- JB

The Heck of the North Recap

2011-10-04T09:21:00.007-05:00

The finishing hill of the race....Enlarge this photo to see the two riders going up it. Jeremy Kershaw is a cruel man

Made the solo trip up to Duluth, MN this past weekend to represent the Slender Fungus in the 3rd annual Heck of the North put on by Jeremy Kershaw. The 10 hour, 600 mile drive was worth being up in this beautiful area of the country. As soon as I got to Jeremy's house he was very welcoming and I met the rest of his family. They offered me food and for me to camp in their backyard for the evening. I graciously accepted.

Stopped at the Burrito Union before the race for dinner and had a beer and some fish tacos and chatted with some of the Duluth locals. They brewed their own beer there which was cool. Then I headed back to Jeremy's to get some shut eye before the race.

The backyard at the Kershaw compound. Met and camped with Chirs Skogen who puts on the Almanzo and Royal 162 races earlier in the season. I am going to register for the Royal 162 this coming year and Chris said he knew my friend Mike B...the bonk King! I told him we rode together during the SFCA Fruit Loop. The morning was around 35 degrees and the ground had frost on it when I woke up. I decided to stick with my plan of wearing knickers, craft base layer, rapha wool jersey, and salsa longsleeve jersey with a cycling cap under the helmet, wool socks and wool gloves.

I met the DBD at the beginning of the race, said hello and intruduced myself again. Gave them some whiskey provided by Ari and then finished getting ready myself. Everyone was in the same boat at this time playing the game: what should I wear for the race??

We began to line up at around 8 a.m. and the sun began to rise and warm our anxious souls.

Jeremy made some announcements for the "ride" and then hopped on his little sputtering moped and we rolled out. I was expecting that as soon as we let us go there would be a sprint and some jockeying for position. This was not the case. We all rolled out through the outskirts of Duluth together. Small attacks would come and go and we would yo-yo a little bit but no one ever broke free. I would take pulls where I could and tried to stay at the front and maintain contact with the leaders.

Charlie Farrow (above) would roll up next to me and smile and make some small talk. It was great to be riding with such strong riders and legends in their own right. These are the tough men of the Death Before Dishonor Crew...and I was trying to hang with them. They were cool and collected. Tim Ek seemed a little more nervous wondering when the break would come, wondering where the next attack would come....he was racing from the get go. I hung with the leaders for 40 miles, then there was a near wreck as a turn wasn't called out and riders started darting into the woods at the first trail section. I got mid pack and took off for some thick water and mud. I hopped off of the bike and carried it through this section. These riders were from northern MN and had mountain bike skills where I did not. There handling was tuned and they cruised through this section. I had a harder time and lost some time in this section. I came out of it and rejoined with a group of riders and headed into the halfway mark. I refueled with what little water was provided and Mr. Farrow (who pinch flatted) didn't even stop at the checkpoint. He knew the course, breezed through, and upon leaving....looked back at me with his dark eyes as if to say...."come on...lets go, back on the bike". Shortly after I was back on the bike and the legs were burning from the previous trail section. I wouldn't see the leaders until the end of the race.

Not shortly after that there was another trail section. I was burnt up and the legs were cramping. I wasn't used to this kind of riding. I stayed with a pack of riders and did my best to push through the trail. This was a near breaking point for me. I would grunt out loud and sigh just to get some of my frustration out. I was back on the gravel and moving again...

A lot of the gravel was heavily wash-boarded and made for a rough time in finding a decent line on the roads. I was riding alone for most of the second half of the race, trying to get some power back in my legs, eating as much and when I could and trying to ration my water for the end of the race. The wind would not stop and the large pine trees on either sides of the road made somewhat of a funnel for the wind. I needed to find a group to ride in but one never came....

Coming over a hill I got a glimpse of the lake in the distance and put the pedals to work. I was 20 miles away and knew I could suffer for a little while to finish at a decent time. I figured the leaders had already completed the course and Meiser and Ek were in the top spots. The last 10 miles were tough with a few very hilly sections and a small trail section that wasn't too bad. I hit the last climb with everything I had (first photo on the post) and made it to the finish. Jeremy congratulated me and told me a time which I heard six...forty... something, I expected to run around 6:20....and could have done so without the cramps that came on the second half. Next year I will return stronger. The results on the Heck blog said 35/112. Not bad

This photo has generated great controversy amongst the DBD.... Tim Ek came up to me after the race and told me I did a good job and that there were at least 20 guys in the race that had a chance of winning the thing. This was comforting and I agreed that there were some extremely strong riders in the group. Tim told me the race only got faster and he was maxed out on many occaisions. Great race to the top guys and everyone who rode their hearts out on the course. The Heck is a young race but seems to be gaining popularity and coming into its own....Tim has a great write up on his blog. I enjoyed a nordeast and some chips after the race and then met Charles Parsons (3 time Trans Iowa finisher and general strong man) at the burrito union and we shared stories of the race over beers and burritos.

The after party was at Jason Buffington's house and he had 4 delicious homebrews on tap for his guests. A big thanks to him and his family for having everyone over. More stories were told and friendships made. Charlie brought over his new pup named Loki...what a cool dog. It was great talking to all of the gravel racers and their different experiences. I heard an interesting story of the stressful lives of criminals as well....The pugs stout was great and I enjoyed several before calling it a night and heading back to the tent. I awoke in the morning to bid farewell to Jeremy and thank him for everything he had done for me and putting on a superb race. I will be back next year for sure! Great times in the north woods with some great racers and great people!

Beware of the men of the DBD.... they are crafty ones....

A big thanks to some people that made this ride happen:

The Arik and Holly Bruene Foundation for their generous contributions

The Andonopolous family for their encouragement and junk food

Wheel Fast Bicycle Co for allowing me to take a few days off of work

My girlyfriend for being supportive of these races

The Kershaw family for their generosity

The DBD for their comradery

Thanks again,

JB - "Cookie"

Onward to the HECK

2011-09-30T07:55:00.002-05:00

Heading up to Duluth for Jeremy Kershaw's Heck of the North. Excited to explore northern Minnesota and battle it out on the gravel roads of the native DBD. I will battle it out on the hills giving it all I have. Still planning on how to prepare the bike....frame bag, no frame bag? Stayed at my very gracious hosts Ari and Jamie's house and was fed a "manly" meal to provide me with some energy on Saturday. I will miss the rest of my Slender Fungus crew as they were not able to make it this weekend....they will be with me in my thoughts as my legs burn on the hills of Duluth.

Have an excellent weekend, pics and recap to follow.

- JB

Commute

2011-09-29T09:48:00.002-05:00

Beautiful sunset

Some cool rain clouds

fixed gear fun

Cruisin

Ride your bikes

- Jb

Fall

2011-09-26T10:35:00.003-05:00

My favorite time of the year has arrived. Cooler temperatures in the evenings, beautiful sunsets, night rides, knickers and wool jerseys, beers, chili, all the goodness! Excited for the Heck of the North this weekend. Very excited to meet and ride with some very talented riders and explore northern MN which I have never traveled to even though I was born in the state... Should be good, I plan on the DBD going ape shit and tearing people's legs off. Trying to get a couple 40-50 mile rides in before my departure date on Friday morning. Get out and ride dem bykes!

- JB

The HECK

2011-09-23T10:15:00.006-05:00

View Larger Map

Heck of the North, Solo representation from the slender fungus....going to be a loonnnnngggg drive

- JB

A Few Odds n Ends

2011-09-21T09:35:00.002-05:00

This company makes some great stuff....

The bike trail I ride everyday to work is covered with tens of thousands of sunflowers....its pretty neat to see them all every morning

My new print from Hiawatha....RIDE GRAVEL!

Surly Crosscheck for a special Bahhdddyyyy of mine...gonna be an awesome build, stay posted

Freak bikes 69'in in the back of the shop

Enjoy your day....

- JB

Full Interbike Recap. Part III

2011-09-20T09:42:00.005-05:00

Oh Dario, you're so dreamy....

Me on the way over 1000 watts....free stuff

Moonlander....starring in Apollo 666

Sparkly Masi

Super Pista

Italiano

Belgium or Germany colors

UK and Brazil

Stealth mode Look

Sram giveaway

PDW old velodrome, sold to All-City

Steep banked walls

Cross Vegas! Elite men

This course was very long, and had some tricky parts to it, beer was flowing

Me and my old boss and friend Delfino

The finishers....Rabobank first place Lars Vander Harr or something like that...

Las Vegas was an experience for sure. I have wanted to go to Interbike for a long time and only having been to Frostbike previously I was blown away at the size of the show. There were vendors and distributors that I have never even heard of before. It was good talking to the main people behind the brands we carry, making new connections, and talking to everyone out there about their products. It is an awesome experience to be amongst like minded people and get the creative juices flowing and ideas for the next season. I thank my boss for taking me down there and my buddy Dave for covering for me at the shop so I could come down. Great to see my bro from LA for a couple days and overall a fantastic couple of days!

- JB

Full Interbike Recap. Part II

2011-09-19T09:32:00.005-05:00

Phil Wood....always awesome

High flanges

I AM buying this frame....All City - Space Horse

Ti Mukluk loaded up and ready to go

Futuristic Cinelli Pista

One of the very cool things Calfee is doing is making a Di2 battery that fits in an ENVE seatpost...keep your downtube looking sharp

Beautiful work that Calfee does with carbon fiber

This is the coolest rando setup ive ever seen....Velo Orange, what a great company

Brooks always keeping it classy

Cable to hydraulic disc converter....whatttttt???

I was very impressed by the new Fizik saddles....the light grey carbon gives some flex like a brooks and you can actually adjust the tension on the saddle too

Phil internal hub shell

Gorgeous handbuilt displaying some nice chrome phil wood parts

You might recognize this name....

The men....loading up on schwag

Part III tomorrow.....

Full Interbike Recap. Part I

2011-09-16T17:40:00.009-05:00

Great photos of the grand canyon and surrounding areas from the plane

Got to meet up with my good friend Phil from Denver, CO and his coworker Joe to bomb some mountains on full suspension 29'ers

The wonderful people and products of Salsa Cycles. Example: Jason Boucher (person not product). Jason sounds like he has some big tours lined up for next year....

Tons of people at the dirt demo

The hottest bike at the show....made by Chris King

Andy, Matt, and I, after a rip on the course

Partied hard on the town....a little too hard for me....my bro watching the fountains

The fountains

Cav's bike

Super 75's

RitcheyCX bike

Another pic of the Ritchey seat/headtube/seatstay junction....clean

Part II tomorrow.....

- JB

Interbike Recap in Progress

2011-09-15T15:37:00.002-05:00

Just got home without sleep for nearly 3 days....head still spinning, hungover, tired....still trying to take in everything I saw at Interbike. Post to come in a day or two

Vegas Bound...

2011-09-13T02:46:00.000-05:00

Interbike this week....lots of pics to follow... And a large hangover...

- JB

Capital City Century

2011-09-12T13:14:00.002-05:00

Before the 7:30 a.m. start....J.Cuddles

Rest stop at Auburn

The boys cruisin

Remembering 9/11

Totals for the day on the Gunnar....good to get a long ride in, 7 hours, 18 mph average on the 700 x 35's. Great weather and great to ride with everyone.

- JB

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-07T14:00:00.004-05:00

My beautiful mother and I

My cousin Taryn and her husband Scott

Some delicious beers

My favorite brewery... Kalamazoo, MI

Warren Dunes State Park

Another shot of the dunes

Round Barn Winery and Brewery

Wine tasting with two of my favorite Weidners

Tour of Tabor Hill Winery

Tabor Hill

Greenbush brewery. Sawyer, MI

Delicious beers

Took a couple days off of the saddle to spend some time with the girlie and with my family. Traveled to Ohio for my cousin's wedding and to Michigan to drink alcohol and get some R&R. Good times, looking forward to getting back on the Gunnar this week and logging some miles....Trans Iowa training has begun....

- JB

Interbike

2011-09-01T12:25:00.002-05:00

Yes its official....Matt and I will be traveling to Interbike for a few days. VERY VERY excited about this. This is the largest bicycle industry show in the country and for 10 years working at shops I have always wanted to go to this show and now its happening....

- JB

New Surly

2011-08-26T09:11:00.001-05:00

New amazing products by Surly Bikes....this company is one of my very favorites.

http://www.surlybikes.com/blog/

Check it.

Ride for 9-11

2011-08-25T09:40:00.001-05:00

I had the great experience of riding with 6 fire fighters on their journey from LA to NY cross country. I only rode with them for a few miles but their story is great as they are riding to honor the fallen victims of 9-11 and to raise money for two very good causes. I did a mini-write up on the Wheel Fast website which has some pics and stuff. Its also cool because you can follow Scott's GPS and see exactly where they are and who knows they might even roll through your town.

- JB

Sunday Ride

2011-08-16T12:43:00.002-05:00

Got out with the bike club group and busted out 105 miles on Sunday. With a 115 miler on thursday....ended the week with 365 miles for the week. Ran into some nice gravely roads and a hike a bike section. We hit 20 mph average for the 105 miles....good riding last week.

- JB

Here we go again.....

2011-08-13T14:25:00.001-05:00

Trans Iowa V8 in the works. Check guitar ted's blog for details! SOOOOO PUMPED, redemption road (gravel road) here we come

Day Off 115

2011-08-12T09:40:00.002-05:00

Dave cruisin towards the overpass

Dave and I left my place Thursday morning at 9 a.m. to do what he called an "easy century". His longest ride so far this year was about 45 miles and he took the day off of work to ride with me. We headed to Salisbury and back to the bike shop to start the day with 40 miles. Had lunch at the ever delicious head west sub shop and then headed back out. We cruised south to farmersville and back north on black diamond blacktop to pawnee then through Rochester back into Springfield. He ducked off with 100 miles and I finished riding in the park to add 15 more to my ride. Ever stretch of rode that we were on during the day had sections of chipped up gravel and was interesting on the road bikes. The weather was mid 70's into low 80's all day and there was no wind the entire day. Great day of riding and have 230 miles for the week with more commuting and another century scheduled for Sunday. Get out on dem bikes ya'll!

- JB

Sunday Hiking

2011-08-09T09:53:00.005-05:00

Bob sprinting for 3rd...2nd in the 40+

Fast Eddies!!!

All this food was $6

Driving along the river

Beautiful Pere Marquette State Park

Drove down to Edwardsville this weekend to watch the crit down there and see some team mates race. Then drove to Fast Eddies in Alton, IL for some diner food and drinks. After that Jill and I made our way down to Pere Marquette state park and did some hiking. The views were amazing and the hills were very steep. There were bike trails everywhere and I did some recon for a long ride that I am planning in the fall from Springfield down to Calhoun County and Pere Marquette. Awesome Sunday!

- JB

The Fruit Loop 250

2011-08-02T18:38:00.010-05:00

We gathered at Ari's house and were on the road by 4 a.m. sharp. We had: Ari, Franny (Ari's daughter), Alex (Ari's son), Tom, Llama, BB, Mike B, Josh, and myself. We had the lights on and rolled down 64 out towards Oregon, IL.

The sun was coming up just as we passed the overpass on 39. We stopped to take the sunrise in and then kept rolling. I had the Gunnar set up as usual....Conti speed tires, brooks saddle, revelate frame bag with 2L bladder inside, 2 polar insulated bottles for the hot day ahead

Immediately after leaving Sycamore (ari's house) we started to hit some rollers towards Oregon. The morning was a nice and cool day at about 70 degrees it was gorgeous but soon began to heat up. Everyone was feeling good and we chatted about life and I got to meet a couple cool new people.

At about 40 miles in we stopped in Polo to pick up Paul Anderson. He is a new customer of NCC and has a mountain bike background. He bought a Surly Pacer and has had it for a little over a month and already has nearly 700 miles on it...I liked him from the start. Mike B and Josh took a different road into Polo to hit a gas station and then flip to head home. We were left with 8 people at this point and pushed on West.

The day really began to heat up and some people in the group began "getting into jams". We hit more and more hills of beautiful country side and started to drink a lot more liquids. At this point it was about 70 miles in and Tom realized he needed to head back. It was great riding with him and talking to him. We later found out that he put in a monsterous 143 miles for the day...Great ride Tom!

Pushing on to Savanna we stopped at a gas station and refueled. We dropped off Franny and Alex and left them with their longest rides ever...both with 90 miles. Just like their father they are hardcore! Great job to those guys for getting past the hills and the heat and making it that far! We rode along the bluffs up to Savanna and now were into the real hills from Savanna to Galena...this is where we had the longest and hardest (and hottest) part of the day. The hills began as we climbed a mile long hill up onto the huge bluff with amazing views. It was so hot that we would stop and sit down and regroup and drink water at the top of each massive hill.

Paul was flying up the hills on his steel road bike and riding like he had done this route a thousand times. I was impressed. I would catch him on the climbs and we would climb together and muster a few words while gasping for breaths of 100 degree air.

As we left from a stop in Hanover an older black man looked at us and said "cyclists huh? ya'll need to head over to that Blackjack road by the mountain"...we replied "thats where we're headed. The only thing I can compare this to was Hannibal, MO. Extremely steep hills that literally take your breath away. Most of blackjack was closed because of the 17" of rain that elizabeth county had just gotten so we were forced onto a gravel road. This turned into a very steep downhill section of loose dirt and gravel, I slid out, Eric crashed and we cautiously made our way to a large section of road missing. We found our way around with a cow bridge and laughed at the hills in the horizon. On one of these hills Paul caught his seatbag between the frame and rear tire and it took a large chunk out of the tire so he was riding on the casing.

We then road what was a disaster area. We saw the results of the 17" of rain that this area had just gotten. Bridges laying on the road, mobile homes flipped, cars flipped, random pieces of wood and trees everywhere, bluffs completely washed out of the side of the hill. You could tell exactly where the water had been from the mud that it left on the plants and everything else on the side of the road. And it smelled like dead fish everywhere it had been. Those poor people that lost their lives as well as their houses and belongings in that area.

We rode through some very rural sections of hills seeing more debris and also signs of rednecks (the bullet holes in the road sign below).

Huge chunk of the road missing (pictured below). We saw some folks stop and take pictures of the damage and they told us we were only 5 or so miles outside of galena.

We finally pulled into Galena, IL. The half way point to the trip. At this point we all needed a solid meal and stopped at a nice pub for some cokes and burgers....what a delicious meal. The staff was very friendly and helped us fill up our water bottles for the next leg. We were sitting in a bar filled with motorcyclists....cyclists none the less I suppose. We laughed at the differences. Another great thing about Galena was that we found a bike shop...OPEN on a Sunday at 5 pm...how strange is that?! And we got Paul a new continental tire and the man was back in action. Ari had been battling some cramps at this point so it was good to sit for a few minutes and get some salt back in our bodies.

As we left, Ari instantly began to fight off cramps again as we hit huge hills outside of Galena. We waited and he told us to push on....not going to happen buddy, remember Trans Iowa?? He reassured us that once the sun went down he would be ok and it was the heat that was doing him in.

Our next stop was Apple River, very close to the highest point in Illinois. We made it to the gas station at 7:50 pm and the place closed at 8....just our luck. We saw some trashy/attractive females in the area and upon spying 2 more we were ready to take off with some more fuel. Onwards to the Apple River Canyon. The sun was setting....the Slender Fungus were just getting comfortable....

Ari's cramps started to fade away and the sun began to set, we started with the flashers in the back and eventually had to turn the headlights on as we were now headed back south to 64 via 78.

Route 78 was shut down with signs not to enter....well we did anyhow, we were on bicycles....you can do anything on a bicycle. The air was still and began to cool down and we were on a smooth asphalt blacktop with the stars above our heads. A few times Eric and I stopped to turn off our lights and look up at the millions of stars about our heads, it was truly beautiful and peaceful.

The route on 78 was slightly hilly and the closer we got towards our destination of Mt. Carroll the hillier it got. Paul was starting to bonk and the dark was getting to him as he was not used to riding in it. What seemed like hours later we rolled into Mt. Carroll, Chad was falling apart at this time and walking his bike, he needed to sleep, and Paul decided to get picked up. He ended up with 130 miles and put in a great effort!

Chad decided to sleep in Mt. Carroll to the morning. Ari, Eric, and I decided to take a little breather and refueled before heading out. Again, we hit a gas station 5 minutes before they closed....very fortunate. We were at mile 180 and the legs were still feeling good. We headed out on 64 to ride 40 miles back to Oregon, then another 30 back to Sycamore. The night time riding was by far the most challenging part of the ride. I stayed on the front and set the pace and tried to keep it steady. This ended up playing tricks with my mind as I looked at a small circle of light provided by my lights and a steady white line on the shoulder of rt 64. I stared at this white line for hours....I was starting to lose it.

We stopped in Mt. Morris for coffee as we were all getting tired and going a little nuts. We saw one of the best mullets ever at the gas station and had some laughs over a cup of coffee. Once we got rolling we were level headed again and cruised to Oregon and plowed through with minimal food left. The stretch from Oregon to Sycamore was hillier than I remembered and they seemed to never end. The riding felt like it took forever and there were very few words spoken between the 3 of us...I tried thinking of songs I liked and wished I had an mp3 player or something to satisfy my exhausted brain. Finally, the sun began to come up...the traffic increased on 64 and we were close to home.

I couldnt stand it anymore and just let loose, I wanted to be done with the ride. Eric and I dropped Ari a little ways behind and cruised between 16-20 mph and made it home. I never felt more relieved to be at the final destination. We congratulated each other and then stretched out and waited for Ari who was only 5 minutes behind us. He came in and we all looked at each other with gratitude and admiration for helping each other out and making this crazy journey together. We ended the day with about 256 miles (my computer was a few shy since I started it late). I was very very proud of BB for riding this route with us and making it the entire way. Ari and I had some solid experience riding through the night and as usual it was a great pleasure to ride with my training partner and share another great experience with him. Chad made it back the next morning and put a solid effort in while he rode with us. I then had to hop in the car and drive 3 hours back down to Springfield to work at 10. I was late and got there at 11. I did some tune ups and my gracious boss let me go home early to sleep....thanks Matt! It was a fantastic 26 hours of riding (including stops), 13.9 mph average, and the bikes were set up flawlessly. I wouldn't make a single change to the bike except the salsa bottle cages which both broke during the ride. Thanks to all who came out and rode and a big thanks to Ari and Eric. Check out some more pics on Eric's Blog. Until the next long one.....cheers.

- Jb

Sunday plans

2011-07-29T17:49:00.002-05:00

Was thinking of rolling the fruit loop 250 with the gunnar in desert storm mode. Rolls saddle and specialized nimbus tan 700x35's on. The bike was test ridden 30 miles today and is far too heavy with those tires as sweet as it looks. Back to the conti cross speeds and brooks saddle for the long ride. Look forward to laughing till I puke, then bonking off.

- JB

Summer

2011-07-25T09:42:00.002-05:00

This summer has been a little weird for riding. With the heat, rain, and time constraints it has been harder to get the mileage in that I was putting in this spring. Granted depending on the week I am still doing 150-300 miles every week which is still great. Motivation comes and goes sometimes getting a little burnt out after putting in 5500 miles already this year. Either way trying to keep myself motivated and keep the legs strong. Very much looking forward to the fruit loop this weekend with some good friends. Expect a long write up of that after the ride happens on Sunday. Until then get on your bikes and sweat it out!

- JB

Some Random Summer Stuff

2011-07-18T12:21:00.005-05:00

Wedding gift to good friends Phil and Lauren, hope you enjoy! Congrats!

Lively bunch, 6 a.m. Tour De Corn

Peleton

Post TDC drinks

Salsa's at Wheel Fast...come in and check them out!

Weirdness

Thursday evening gentleman's ride...good times with good friends

Untitled from Slender Fungus on Vimeo.

Fruit Loop Video....July 31st, 4 a.m.

Don't let your meat loaf, chin up....zipper down, rock 'n roll

- JB

SFCA Fruit Loop

2011-07-14T11:06:00.000-05:00

Fruit Loop July 31st, 2011 start time 4 am

Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Sycamore, IL

Get ready for a long day in the saddle. July 31st at 4 am.

SFCA Fruit Loop July 31st, 2011

2011-07-07T11:34:00.004-05:00

The Slender Fungus Cycling Association Fruit Loop is set for July 31st at 4 a.m. The goal is 200+ miles out to Galena or the west Illinois border by the river. Should be an excellent day in the saddle.

Roster:

Straight Shot
The Bald Eagle
Cookie

Possibly others....

Possible bailout for riders looking to do shorter routes. We will be doing an out and back so at any time riders can turn and flip to head home.

We DARE you to come join us....do it....you won't

- JB

4th Ride

2011-07-06T12:50:00.002-05:00

Had a great ride with Jill on Monday the 4th of July...a special day for us. Beautiful weather allowed us to get out for a couple hours on the bikes. I rode the Gunnar Crosshairs and Jill road the Litespeed antares. We stopped by Ari's house to catch up for a little while and then cruised northeast towards Burlington and got about 45 miles in for the day. We headed out to Geneva for dinner and found nothing open except a nice little wine shop...had a glass of wine and scoped out a spot for dinner. We ended up in West Dundee at Emmetts for delicious food and drinks. Had a great weekend with the girlfriend!

Splat Matt

2011-06-22T15:59:00.000-05:00

The boss man....BALLIN!!!

How we do at Wheel Fast....

Keeps it real

Day Off Ride

2011-06-17T18:04:00.003-05:00

Day off cruisin = 55 miles with some sunshine. I am also told that I will now be referred to as a small penguin that giggles...thanks to giggles haha. Get some riding in this weekend ya FOOLS!

- JB

Sunday Road Ride

2011-06-14T09:43:00.002-05:00

Road ride on Sunday. Did 105 miles at 19.5 mph average speed. Fast ride and good to be out on the road bike for a change. Looking forward to some long rides this summer....hopefully 200 and 250 milers with Ari.

- JB

Dirty Kanza 200

2011-06-09T08:54:00.009-05:00

This picture makes me laugh so hard....the bald eagle.....getting salty

My men....the eagle, Ari, me

The morning starte with Jill and I packing up the Alero and getting on the road by 4 a.m. on friday morning. The drive was almost straight to the west.

We saw interesting billboards and scenery

I injected EPO before the race to give me that little edge....

I knew Steve was a drug dealer

This was the final bike set up. Went with the Chris King R45 wheels, Specialized Borough tires, revelate bag with 2L bladder inside, 2-22oz polar bottles, and the usual Gunnar set up.

Another view of the set up

Friday chillin

Granada theater....welcome to the riders. The whole town gets into this event and its very cool how much hype there is to this small gravel endurance scene. Thanks again to everyone who put on this event and the city of Emporia, KS.

The mass start at 6 a.m. I believe that 290 riders started this event. The nervous energy was in the air...the humidity was already causing us to sweat and we were ready to roll. I looked over and saw Jason from Salsa who was grinning ear to ear and he gave me the quick nod before we rolled out. I lined up with Ari and Mark B (the bald eagle) and we were ready to roll. At this point of training I had 4000 miles for the year and I knew the legs were feeling fast today. The race began and we started together with a roll out through town. As soon as the police car pulled off the pace sky rocketed. I had been making my was up front within the first 75 people. I saw cornbread instantly flat and felt bad as he was here to defend his title....I knew he would pass me again at some point in the day.

I jumped in with a group of about 25 riders and we were straight hauling ass. The pace every time I would check my computer was over 22 mph. We were flying! I wanted to have an average of the day of about 15 mph and I knew that this was going to be tough with the heat, so I thought of getting some good speeds and miles in early to avoid problems with heat and wind later in the day. The first hills started rolling in around mile 25 and the group had split up and everyone was starting to get settled. I felt that this was a comfortable pace for me and felt strong to start.

The first big hills....were BIG hills, steep grades, long climbs...everyone had broken up and were going at their own pace. I knew that there was 160-something miles to go and that it was good to get comfortable at my own pace. Some of the downhills were extremely rocky and more technical than any mountain bike course I had ever been on. I felt comfortable but still sketchy on some of those downhills. I continued to see flat tire after flat tire and after riding the rocky terrain I knew why and why it was so important to ride the thick tires. I cruised with Mike from Iowa who had finished T.I. earlier the year and a guy named Wade from Salida, CO. We had a good pace going and talked for a few miles. I made it to CP #1 and was in good shape and feeling good. The heat was increasing and the sun baking our salty bodies. Jill hooked me up with some more Cytomax and some treats, I gave her a kiss and was on my way. I wondered how Ari and Mark were feeling and how far back they were.

The second leg started at mile 58 and instantly we had a 25 mph tailwind, I was alone with a big gap behind me and a big gap in front of me. I enjoyed the scenery and was taking in the whole ride. I came to a group of riders after battling a strong hill and headwind for 2 miles. They were stopped. We had taken a wrong turn and headed 2 miles back onto the course. Here I met up with my buddy Wade again (above in the green and blue) and we cruised together again. The remainder of the second leg was with a headwind and hit some very large hills. We passed some water crossings that kicked mud all over our bikes and legs but the cool liquid was welcome none the less. I was nearly out of water as I rolled into CP #2 totally exhausted from the headwind and hills. The legs were beginning to feel it....cramp up, get tight. I tried to eat as much as I could but my digestive system had shut down to keep pushing the legs forward. I didn't talk much....I was in a lot of pain (as Ari would say). I chilled at the checkpoint much longer knowing that section 3 was 60 miles long with a tailwind so it was going to be the hottest of the course. I packed an extra bottle in my jersey and was on my way. I met with two guys from Missouri and we headed out on course.

We were riding slower than my average speed of 15 mph and the hills kept coming. I was beginning to cramp and this was the hottest section of the course since we had a tailwind. I was going through water faster than I had in the first two legs of the race. We stopped at a farm house and a young lad helped us fill our bottles with a hose at his house. The ride was painfully hot and we kept pushing. Off in the distance we saw dark clouds and rain falling. This was very strange since there was 0% of rain all day. As we headed into mile 125 the storm caught us and we got drenched. The rain felt so good since there was no shade or escape from the heat on the course. A strong tailwind gave us a push as we headed north. The storm seemed to pass and we made our way on course as Joe Meiser from Salsa passed us. We came to a section of dirt roads on course (clover rd heading to DD) and the storm hit us again, winds kicked up to 40-50 mph and lightening was striking to our left and right, the rain was near blinding at times it was so hard. The road instantly turned to mud and we were forced off of the bikes to walk. There were six of us now walking together.

After what seemed like walking for hours and probably ended up being 4-5 miles, we were all bummed. One of the guys said he was upset because we were so well placed in the race. I said that I guessed we were 50-75 back from the leaders....Joe Meiser chimed in and said he thought we were probably 30 people back from the leader. That was encouraging news. Our legs were trashed and I was cramping just pushing my bike. We finally came to our turn DD and cleaned our bikes off and decided what to do. If we cut the course we were finished because we were not following the direct route. A rancher pulled up and we showed him our map and the course we were supposed to be on. He said that he came from the route and the roads were not rideable. He said the roads were worse than the ones we were just on. We decided to call the race then and there. No one at that point had came from the race to tell us if the race was cancelled or if we could go a different route.

We got a ride to Burdick which was a couple miles away. We chatted about what happened and how weird the storm was and how upset we all were.

The bikes were trashed and more riders showed up and began to be picked up. I met up with Dave who I had been emailing earlier in the week and was a friend of the Gravemakers. Beers were drank, smiles were had, and we went our separate ways. Jill picked me up and I was devestated to not have finished.

Dave Wood

The group who walked Clover Rd together

Troy Krause crossing the finish line.

Jill and I headed to checkpoint 3, where I met with some guys I had been riding with earlier in the day. They were all getting ready to head out and were dissappointed that I couldn't join them. I was extremely bummed out. I spoke with Jim and learned that Mark and Ari had been 2 hours back from me at the second checkpoint. I called Mark to see what he was doing and he said he was off of the course and heading to checkpoint 3. He texted me later and I learned they were allowed to continue on the course. I was EXTREMELY broken, how were we not allowed on, why did no one from the race find us and tell us to go on? This is something that I am still dealing with and having a hard time with.

Lastly, The Dirty Kanza was an amazing time and race. A big thanks to my wonderful girlfriend for putting up with me and helping me out with support. Thanks to Ari and Mark for keeping me motivated and riding with me all of the time. A HUGE congrats to Ari and Mark for finishing, bravo men, bravo. Thanks to everyone that helped out including Salsa Cycles. Ari's family and Mark's father in law Jim for doing their support. I guess I haven't had the best luck this year with weather and circumstances on my endurance races...I will keep my head up and keep training hard.

A great quote from Joe Meiser as we were walking Clover road soaking in mud:

"Sometimes its butter.....sometimes its peanut butter"

- JB

T.I. Video

2011-06-08T09:41:00.002-05:00

300 Miles of Gravel Trailer from Jeff Frings Photography on Vimeo.

Trans Iowa: Now you can see some of the riding that took place. Also, I am seen saying "oh my god" hahaha

Dirty Kanza Post Coming

2011-06-07T09:46:00.002-05:00

Full Kanza Update soon

Da Dirty Dirty Kanza 2-Hundo

2011-06-02T08:55:00.002-05:00

After my failed attempt at the Trans-Iowa I will be seeking some redemption with the Dirty Kanza 200 in Emporia, Kansas this Saturday. I decided to put my Chris King R45 hubs on the bike (my lighter road wheels) instead of my heavy cross/touring wheels. Going with a slimmer tire with a Specialized Armadillo Borough 700x32. Hopefully this takes even half a pound off of the wheels to give me that added edge. I will be heading down with Jill tomorrow morning and camping all weekend long. We will meet Ari and his family and Mark Baldwin for some good riding. Very excited for this race!!! Ordered some Castelli clothing to be lighter weight because there is no shade in the Flint Hills area we will be riding. Full report when I get back with pictures and hopefully decent results! Cheers

- JB

Gravel Metric

2011-06-01T08:59:00.002-05:00

Iron, The Bald Eagle, Myself

125 riders

My view for about an hour during the storm of the century

I am naked in this photo....and covered in sand and grit

Fattys after party

Went to the NCC/HAC gravel metric this weekend. Huge turnout...rode 10 miles before hand to loosen the legs up a bit. The ride started pretty easy as we rolled out of town. I rode next to Jason B from Salsa and talked about our upcoming DK200 race, bike set up, etc. Mr. Brian Conant then approached me and we rode together for a while too. I haven't talked to Brian in a while so it was good catching up on stuff. The race began and Brian and I moved to the front group with about 10 others. The humidity and fog were thick and the pace shot up to 25-30 mph. We made a large gap on the main group and kept hammering. I was drinking water faster than I should've because of the humidity, but the legs were feeling strong. The skies unleashed on us and we were soaking wet. Brian got a flat tire and the lead 8-10 kept rolling. We hit checkpoint 2 and were forced down a B-road full of mud, unrideable....Was this Trans Iowa or what??? The legs got very tight through this section...the lead two guys were riding in this and I knew their legs were suffering. I walked and carried my bike while trying to run. We made it past this section and there were about 7 guys ahead of me....me....and then a large gap to whoever else. I closed the gap and we hit another mud section. I was running now and in about 4th or 5th place. We were 37 miles in. No one could see the lead 2 guys and a dude from half acre took a wrong turn and so did everyone else...at this point it was POURING rain. We were soaked, cold, and just wanted to get back as we had about 40 miles and were now off course. We headed back to the source of our wrong turn and I kept going straight just to get home while everyone else got back on course. Now the storm really kicked in and it was a downpour, lightening everywhere, hail, 40-50 mph winds. I found the closest house I could and hopped on their porch, I was not going to be out in this weather. My good friend Rich picked me up and I showered, called it a day, and had a beer. I think a lot of people were not expecting so much dirt, mud, and un-rideable roads and the roads were not clearly marked. Rich and I saw a lot of riders off course on the way home and many people ended their rides short because of the storm. Either way it was an experience. My legs are still sore from the ride/race/whatever it was and I am spinning all week to loosen them for the big Dirty Kanza on Saturday with Ari and Mark B. Get out and ride!

- JB

Kanza

2011-05-25T09:41:00.002-05:00

The Kanza packet

Riding with my neighbor Adam who soon moves to China, and the gravemaker

Got some good miles in before I left for texas ~190. Plan on doing about 200-300 this week pending on the weather. Got my DK200 packet in the mail the other day and am getting more and more excited about this race. I plan on trying to race this event and give it my all and see how that ends up....there will be some heavy hitters in the main group so we will see if I can keep up. Glad that everyone that attended the wolfy100 had a great time and props to Mark B on the good riding last week. As Giggles said...we are going to rip the tits off of dirty kanza! Get out and ride!!!

- JB

Texas

2011-05-18T09:37:00.002-05:00

Heading to Texas with Jill and my twin brother Matt to visit my mom for 5 days. Will be off of the bike but doing some cross training while down there: this will include running, sit ups, getting hammered, eating tex mex, wandering searching for my own "its a beaver!" t-shirt, describing things by putting "Big-o-" in front of them, staring at peoples mullets, and tanning in my banana hammock. Have a good weekend....back on the bike come monday...large mileage week followed by gravel metric, followed by another good mileage week. To everyone riding the Wolfy....enjoy and have a vodka and club for me. HOOOWWWWLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

- JB

Monday

2011-05-17T13:11:00.000-05:00

50 miles yesterday

Salsa Cycles now at Wheel Fast!

Seven and Graduation

2011-05-16T13:55:00.002-05:00

Congrats to Jill and Jamie for graduating from NIU!!! Also a very cool custom Seven that is owned by a nice customer of ours....been riding a lot, 190 last week, plan to do 50 today and 50 tomorrow before leaving for a vacation to Texas to visit my mom. Will return and slay some miles in preparation for the DK200. Ride your bikes to work this week, this month, very day...whatever you can...just don't let that meat loaf!!!

- JB

Zipp King

2011-05-10T18:00:00.004-05:00

When you're building with the King you better be drinking with the King as well....

Rear 24 hole, 2X

Front Radial laced, Sapim spokes, 303 tubular rims

70 miles on thursday

Working every day this week, doing 40-50 miles per day to get some miles in this week. Best.

- JB

The Legend

2011-05-04T12:49:00.004-05:00

R.I.P. Larry Lorenz, a very well known rep for the midwest and especially Illinois passed away this Monday. I have known Larry since my first job at a bike shop back in 2001 at RRB Cycles in Mundelein, IL. Larry was a rep for Shimano, Serfas, Bellwether, Yakima, and a number of other companies. His presence was always one that was enjoyed and he truly loved the cycling industry. You will be missed Larry!

Random Stuff

2011-05-03T12:13:00.004-05:00

B-Day Sushi

Ryan's Pista

The hill that I ride in Washington Park all the time

Mark Shea with the Rapha Velo Mittens...I don't remember seeing these in the catalog

A few pics of Ferg's new SS

Some wheels that I built. Chub hubs, Sapim spokes, Mavic TN719 rims, tubeless set up

Chin up and Zipper down

- JB

Recap: Trans Iowa

2011-04-27T22:13:00.010-05:00

Hard months of training had come down to this day....we gathered at the Grinnell Steakhouse and had a delicious meal which the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce had so graciously helped us out with, talked about the race, gathered our packets, conversed with friends....and off to the hotel rooms to check and pack our bikes for a final time. We tried to get some sleep, but in reality no one really slept. The nerves and anxiousness of the race kept everyone tossing and turning and thinking of what the gravel would be like on race day since it had been raining for a whole week in Iowa prior to the event. We got up, had some food, got dressed and rode into town to gather at the bike shop in downtown Grinnell. It was so awesome to feel the energy in the group and to see how pumped up that people were to be here. It was like everyone knew how hard that we all had been training and we were ready to release a caged animal. We lined up and Guitar Ted sounded the Salsa Woodchipper horn out of the Honda Element and we rolled out of town together. The first gravel section was surprisingly mellow even though I heard that the race starts here....the leaders were off of the front but it didn't seem like anyone was going crazy just yet. The gravel was soaked and a thin layer of clay shot up over the bikes, tires, and clothing that we had on....what a blast this was!!! I was soooooo excited to be here, to be on my bike with legends of gravel road races, to be on the Trans Iowa with my very good friend Ari, and new friend Michael (Dr. Giggles). The training had paid off and we felt fresh.

The sun started to rise and the groups started to spread thin. We turned the lights off and started entering the hilly section of the first leg of the race. My legs felt great and the 34-34 low gear that I have turned up everything that was thrown in my way...Our goal was to stick together and we tried to do that as much as possible. The Slender Fungus were here...in Iowa....to take the beast down and to get finishes from the beast known as the Trans Iowa. This was the 4th attempt for Giggles and Ari, and I wanted to do my best to help them achieve this goal. The 3 of us began to split up, confusion on the course took us on a B-road where we walked for a mile through a muddy pit. This ate up about 30-45 minutes of time. As we got on the bikes again we saw 30-40 bikes coming back at us in the opposite direction. It was the leaders....what had gone wrong?! I guess everyone had gone off of course, the cue sheets didn't add up and our mileage was all messed up. We followed the leaders back to the course and regrouped with Ari and then Giggles. By this time our legs were fried from carrying our bikes for 1 mile through a mud pit....and then the wind picked up.

25-30 mile an hour winds out of the west north west....guess what, the course was about 35 miles west and 10 miles north....how convenient. Giggles was pacing out his ride to finish the checkpoint exactly on time. I knew that I needed to go faster and started to pull forward into the wind. Ari and I got separated for a while and after easing up again I knew that we needed to make the checkpoint together....this was the GOAL...I could not be selfish and just leave my training partner behind. We hit a very very hilly section of gravel hills. I had to walk some of these hills and Ari was in the granny gear churning up them as fast as he could spin. I kept eating and drinking knowing that the hills would keep coming.

Ari began to cramp and I blocked as much wind as I could and gave him a push up the hills when I could. I told him to keep drinking and eating....he would not give up, WE would not give up. I dropped into a harder gear and kept grinding into the wind...Ari right in my draft. We passed group after group of hopeless riders. I knew that at this point it would be minutes if not seconds to make the first checkpoint if we did not hold at least a 14-15 mph average into a 20-20 mph headwind with brutal hills. I kept grinding.....We both started to get tired, the pace slowed, again a turn was taken down by an angry farmer and we had to turn back a mile out of the way....wonderful. Finally, we were in a tailwind. The last 5 miles of the course into Baxter, IA. Ari's legs were cooked, mine were almost there from the effort that I put in...he told me that I needed to leave him and push forward. I told him that I wasn't about to do that. Finally, after yelling at me some more Ari yelled "JAY, GOOOOOo, JUST GOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" I got into time-trial mode and shot off with as much energy as I had. The clock on my computer said 9:09, the checkpoint cutoff was at 9:15. I needed to hurry. I left nothing to chance and hit the hills with as much energy as I had....rolled into Baxter and had someone flag me down and tell me he was sorry....

I said, excuse me... sorry for what. I pointed to my computer which gave a ride time of 5 hours and 7 minutes (which put me in with enough time for the checkpoint) and showed him my clock which read 9:15....he said he was sorry and that the time on his cell phone read 9:16 and that I couldn't go on. I was in disbelief....this guy had no idea what we had just gone through.....A turn that was not marked, a B-road that was not supposed to be ridden, a heroic effort to get to the checkpoint on time and this guy told me NO....

I stood in the road for minutes....hating myself, cursing the world...why did this happen, HOW did this happen.

It took me a while to cool down....We regrouped as everyone can into the checkpoint. We decided to roll back to Grinnell with a tailwind. Mark B from Princeton, IL joined us and it was a pleasure to ride with him this weekend as well. I thought about things, we had a good ride back to Grinnell, I mainly stayed alone to think about what had happened. Giggles and I chatted about what had happened and we came to a positive outcome. I came to the conclusion that these things (in a way) were out of my hands....the course was the course, the weather was the weather, I came to Iowa to ride with Ari and Giggles, and thats what I did. We did not give up, we laid it all out there, we gave it everything we had. We may not have finished but we learned a lot, had a great time with great friends, got some great riding in, made notes for next year, had a lot of laughs....it may not have been a finish at one of the hardest races out there....but it was an amazing experience none the less.

I enjoyed meeting everyone that I did. Finally, meeting Michael (Giggles) with whom I knew I would be racing with since October but never have met...he is an awesome guy. Riding with Mark B again since the Bonkfest...that dude is awesome and has good taste haha. Chatting with and meeting Jeremy Kershaw, Tim Ek, Charlie Farrow, Cornbread, and many others. This gravel grinder group of riders is amazing and it is an amazing atmosphere to be a part of. What a wonderful experience. I plan on placing well at the DK2oo and heading to Duluth, MN to ride with the DBD in the heck of the north. Thanks to everyone that made this a special weekend and to all of the volunteers especially our buddy Rich for coming along and doing support for us...thanks Rick! Big thanks to Guitar Ted and David Pals for putting on a great race, I really hope that you guys continue to do so. I will be back next year with a finish in my sights!

Congrats to all that finished and to Dennis Grelk on an amazing ride!

- JB, SFCA

T.I. Recap coming soon

2011-04-27T09:46:00.004-05:00

Full Trans Iowa recap coming soon. Some of the DBD's recaps: Here is Tim Ek's (2nd Place) recap on the race. Jeremy Kershaw's recap. The ride was brutally tough. About 18 of the 74 that started actually finished. Still gathering my thoughts for the full recap

- JB

Trans Iowa: Pre-race Thoughts

2011-04-19T23:37:00.009-05:00

Having spoken with Ari many times about this race and hearing his experiences, seeing his pictures, reading blogs of others who have competed in this event.....my first thought was, "Why in the hell would anyone in their right mind want to do anything like this". Last year during my birthday I was sitting poolside in Vegas drinking beer thinking of Ari, Giggles, and Hellmut slogging away in the mud covered terrain of Iowa wishing them a good race and nothing more. I wanted them to finish but that was the extent of my involvement. Earlier the month before I had just graduated from grad school with my M.S. in organic chemistry. This was the hardest thing mentally that I have ever had to do. Write an 80 page thesis, defend my thesis, get grilled, on top of 3 years of hard work, class load. etc etc. I moved out of town, started a new job at Wheel Fast and started a simpler life.... a year later I will be spending my birthday weekend much differently. So, why enter the Trans Iowa?

Well, I needed another challenge. I was getting bored....no more grad school, no more tests, no nothing. I wanted something to challenge me (other than my education) so I thought what could do that...how about riding 320 miles through gravel?.....sounds good to me.... I have always loved gravel road rides, cyclocross bikes, the culture, everything about it. I love that it is a small little niche group of the massive cycling industry and lifestyle that millions of others live day to day. Trans Iowa is just small enough that it is not very well known (although its getting there)....but to finish the race, or to win the race....you are a gravel GOD...cycling legend...you have made a major accomplishment in pushing your physical limits, your equipments limits, and the most important and least thought about....mental limits.

So, I spoke with Ari about entering the event. He encouraged me.....I pulled my hair out trying to get into the event..... got into the event and started training that same day for the event. We had brutal weather all winter, I rode mainly by myself....but kept the goal of finishing this race in sight. This motivated me day to day when the weather was terrible out, or my legs were tired or I wanted to go meet up with some friends and grab a beer. I KNEW that I must train for this event and if I came shy of finishing that I would blame myself for not training harder than I did.

I rode close to 3000 miles this year, and many miles last year after getting into the event in preparation. Researched products and other riders bike setup. Consulted with Ari on any thoughts that I had on the race. Talked with Joe Miser on T.I. up at Frostbike in February. Spent sleepless nights thinking about any little detail about this event. I feel like I owe a lot of thank you's to people for helping me with this. First, a thank you to Guitar Ted and D.P. for putting this event on and spending all of the hours and hard work setting up this free event. I have never raced it before but I know you guys bust your asses and I thank you for that. Secondly, thank you to my girlfriend Jill for being so encouraging with me about the event. She always told me to ride, get the miles in, do what I had to do, knowing that it sacrificed time with her when we live 3 hours away and don't see each other much as it is. Buying me a new camera for my birthday and my revelate frame bag....thank you Jill! Last, to my family, friends, boss, and anyone else for encouraging me, supporting me and believing in me. I love you all.

I hope the weather holds up for this saturday, that the gravel is not too saturated, that we are able to make the checkpoints in reasonable time and that our spirits are held high. Excited for a long ride with some great friends and a memorable experience if anything else.

Reading Ghost Trails by Jill Homer, I think she described her preparation for the Iditarod 350 mile ride through Alaska very well and made me think of my preparation for Trans Iowa:

"I gazed down at my boots, which continued to step one in front of the other through powder as fine and white as sand on an idyllic tropical beach. The Iditarod Trail. This was everything I had wanted. These were the moments I had anticipated, prepared for, and let my life be consumed by for months...arguably years. I never claimed to be an experienced winter ultra-endurance racer, butI put in the time. I, the quintessential non-athlete, set up rigorous training schedule and stuck to it. I trained until everything I did felt like training.
Who goes out in a January sleet storm to ride their bicycle for 12 hours when only six of those hours are even remotely light? Who waits for the temperature to drop into the single digits so they can spend a weeknight sleeping outside in their back yard, buried in a tight sleeping bag just to see if they can in fact survive? Who spends many hundreds of dollars on gear and food and travel and entry fees just to drag themselves into the bowels of their own personal hell? I looked down at the drifted snow, the Iditarod Trail. 'I did that....all of that...for you'."

Trans Iowa....this is for you

- JB

Hitting the Nail on the Head

2011-04-19T23:33:00.003-05:00

http://theshockstar.blogspot.com/2011/04/requisite-pre-transiowa-mental-collapse.html

I am turning myself inside out wondering about this race, ben shockey puts into words everything that I am thinking. I physically feel strong enough to finish. Riding with the Slender Fungus will hold my head up high and keep me in good spirits. The bike position is dialed.....I am nervous never having competed in an ultra endurance event and excited all at the same time. I am telling myself that this race will get finished....I sure hope the weather cooperates and is not too muddy like last year was. Pre-race thoughts entry coming tomorrow.

- JB

Sunday Ride

2011-04-17T21:14:00.004-05:00

Met up at the Ari household at 7 a.m. We headed northwest with a tailwind and ended up in Elgin where we were totally lost and had no idea where we were. Ari found the route home and we trucked into the massive headwind for 20 miles. Had great conversation and talked about final plans for the Trans Iowa in 6 days.....6 DAYS AHHHH!!! ITS HERE ALREADY!!! Was blessed with an AMAZING new camera for my birthday from my AMAZING girlfriend, shot some cool photos and still learning how to use the new camera. Got in 70 miles for the day and still finalizing all plans, gear, and state of mind for the long one approaching. Thanks to the Gravemaker for my AMAZING flag from the Tour of Flanders....seriously amazing, thank you! Will make a final thoughts post for the Trans Iowa here in a few days. Pray for our souls.

- JB

Weather

2011-04-17T18:58:00.000-05:00

10-Day Forecast for Grinnell, IA

NEW: Larger Radar Maps & No Ads

		High / Low (°F)	Precip. %
Tonight Apr 17	Showers	36°	70 %
Mon Apr 18	Cloudy	52°/37°	10 %
Tue Apr 19	Rain / Thunder	40°/33°	80 %
Wed Apr 20	Partly Cloudy / Wind	52°/34°	10 %
Thu Apr 21	AM Clouds / PM Sun	54°/42°	20 %
Fri Apr 22	Showers	56°/42°	40 %
Sat Apr 23	Partly Cloudy	58°/41°	10 %
Sun Apr 24	Partly Cloudy	62°/48°	10 %
Mon Apr 25	Showers	67°/56°	60 %
Tue Apr 26	Showers	67°/50°	40 %
Last Updated Apr 17 05:16 p.m. CT

Print This Forecast

BRING ITTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Slender Fungus is Ready to Ride!!!!!!

Paris-Roubaix

2011-04-11T22:37:00.003-05:00

You think just riding the race is hard...slow the picture down a bit and then take a look at why this is considered one of the hardest races in cycling, AND has been around longer than the tour de france, some even consider it more prestigous. Found this from Guitar Ted's facebook...thanks for the link!

Some Things

2011-04-11T09:14:00.003-05:00

Congrats to Johan Van Summeren on a great Paris-Roubaix

Week Recap:

Monday - 30 miles
Tuesday - 40 miles
Wednesday - 50 miles
Thursday - 40 miles
Friday - 162 miles
Saturday - 24 miles
Sunday - 80 miles

Taking today off of the bike and going to get some miles in and taper off the beginning of next week for Trans Iowa. - JB

Trans Iowa Training

2011-04-08T22:29:00.003-05:00

Today I awoke with visions of doing a 150-200 mile ride. My day off got moved from Thursday to Friday as of some family matters with my boss which is totally cool. This denied any possibilities of riding with my Trans Iowa training partner (3 Hours away) Ari, who has Thursdays off....so I planned on going solo. The wind was out of the north so I headed into the hills of Athens and Petersburg to start....I set my mind on doing a long ride and this kept me cool and calm and not in a rush for anything during the day, I expected to be on the bike the entire day. I ended up in Petersburg and planned on riding down to Jacksonville, I texted my friend Dale who teaches and lives in Jacksonville on a whim and turns out he was on spring break and could ride with me, I took some amazing roads filled with hills and gravel on the way out and met with Dale with 67 miles under my belt. He took me through a loop all the way around Jacksonville and sent me on my way with 100 miles in. It was so nice to ride with Dale, he is always great company, very traditional cyclist like myself and we get along very well. Had a great ride and chatted about bicycles, life, and everything in between...including the taste of plain Gu (remember your Hinsdale story Ari?). I rode 120 miles self-supported with everything in my Revelate Tangle bag...I hope this is a good sign of being prepared for the monster that awaits. I stopped in Franklin, IL for some candy and peanuts and gatorade and continued my quest home. The ride home seemed like a struggle and as I pulled into the bike shop, I realized I had ridden with a leaking flat tire for probably 5-8 miles. Perfect timing, I changed the tire and headed home and the legs were tired but felt like they could have given more. Ended the day with 162 miles of gravel and pavement. Was the longest ride I have ever done in my life and feel great about it....thanks to Adam and Mark for getting me out for a beer afterwards and talking nonsense like usual, great friends and a great day of riding. Can't wait for Trans Iowa....am getting more and more excited, and glad to have tried a long ride with a some-what finalized bicycle set up. Cheers!

- JB

Thoughts

2011-04-07T09:44:00.004-05:00

Secret T.I. machine. Ari, Giggles, and I will take turns pedaling the gravel roads of Iowa while one person takes rests in the back. The center platform is for all of our food and supplies.

Thinking of Trans Iowa looming two weeks away always makes me think of this song.

The Quadrabent system to link two recumbents is actually pretty neat and we ordered this in for a family with a special needs daughter, what a cool way to go out and explore.

Don't let that meat loaf!

- JB

Jill's Bike

2011-04-05T09:49:00.002-05:00

My girlfriend Jill bought a very nice used Litespeed Antares this weekend from the experts at Wheel Fast. The bike is equipped with campagnolo centaur ten speed and is an aluminum frame with carbon seat stays....what a great deal and great set up for a first road bike, hope to start riding some miles with this lovely lady!

- JB

Flanders Day

2011-04-04T09:42:00.005-05:00

Congrats to Nick Nuyens

Steven "Gravemaker" Graves making the Wheel Fast debut in Belgium

Flanders Day Cookie

Had a Flanders party over at the Boss' house with burgers, delicious chocolate dipped cookies, and Belgium beer. What an exciting race. Congrats to Nick Nuyens of Saxo Bank proving that even with a lot of guys leaving the team that it still is a very stong team this year. Very excited for Paris-Roubaix next Sunday! - JB

Tour of Flanders

2011-04-01T16:41:00.002-05:00

Great photos taken from pez cycling for Sunday's tour of flanders. Look for a Wheel Fast jersey on the last climb (the Muur) because the gravemaker is going to be rocking one! Happy Flanders Day! My favorite cycling event of the year!!!!!!!!!! - JB

Goals

2011-03-31T20:46:00.001-05:00

My goals and actual miles in preparation for Trans Iowa:

January: Goal - 500 Actual - 560

February: Goal - 800 Actual - 560

March: Goal - 1000 Actual - 1030

Will plug some longer miles the next two weeks then taper off the week before trans iowa.

Hope to have around 2600-2800 miles before the race, am at 2150 so far.

Chin up and zipper down.

- JB

TW

2011-03-29T22:50:00.002-05:00

TransWisconsin 2011 from jmeiser on Vimeo.

Any takers???

Trans Wisconsin

Black and White

2011-03-28T09:48:00.001-05:00

Some awesome photos from my fav clothing company

Trans Iowa - George Vargas V5

2011-03-27T18:20:00.002-05:00

I'm doing some studying for the Trans Iowa...some shots of what George Vargas went through in 2009 having never ridden gravel before....very amazing.

Have 240 miles this week...nearly a 1000 for the month, legs are feeling good.

Got dragged around by Mark Shea and Justin Armstead today up to Elkhart in the wind. 65 miles done for the day....now its time to watch some movies!

Don't let it loaf

Chin up and zipper down

- JB