So the above drawing is my example of the new lesson for my students.  I called it "transitions".They had to pick two animals and "blend" them into themselves. The animals had to reflect their personality.
So I used a Kestrel and a tiger. Both are predators. Both are patient hunters. Tigers are orange,my favorite color.
I also did a bumblebees and butterflies.

 Bumblebees aren't supposed to be able to fly( I was told there were things I couldn't do when I was young. That made me prove them wrong) I look at butterflies at being incredibly carefree. Flit around play,die. Simple. Maybe other than the short life span. I should be more care free. Or maybe I just want to be Mothra and kick some ass
So where is this going? My life is in transition right now. I went to a dark place for a short time. Serious introspection and came out of it.
Changed? Perhaps.
Decisions will be made. Changes will take place and life will go on.
Christmas is a favorite time of the year for me. People seem more genuine and I love it.
I hope it's a good holiday season.
Enjoy your holidays.
OGQ

Kross could be a disease for me.

I once read that "Goals not written down are just dreams".

I only seem to follow that rule during Kross.

So here they are for this Kross Season.

1. Was to win a NYCross race in my age group.
Won the season opener at Kirkland. I came in there on fire.
The "Shake and Bake" training was perfect.
2.Win at Ommegang. I've wanted to win there in each edition.
4th. I know why.
3. Podium at Syracuse. This race is always where I do the double, a turning point in the season. ( I did the double at Omme the week before) 1st Place. I'd left it all on the course.
A half hour later I was lined up again. Fooling myself I could do it this week. Two laps in I pulled out. No point in digging a big hole.
4. Be the NYS Champion in the 55+.
Result 2nd. If we would have raced Friday. I'd have crushed it. I was so intent on a fourth State Championship. I burned a lot of energy. It's all in the last blog posting.
5. Podium at Greene and the DPM. Now this could be tough. Promoting both races and racing is a huge endeavor.
Result: 3rd at Greene and a win in the 55+ plus after a race long battle with the Ithaca Mafia don, Glenn Swan. We traded punches all day. I knew it would come down to a sprint, an uphill sprint. I pulled it out after all that. I had to do it.
6. Lose 8-10 lbs for States.
Result: I did it. Less beers,more salads. Now for a few beers.
7. Upgrade to cat 2.
Result: Done.
I was glad it was all over. I worked really hard at running two races. I want people to come to my races and have fun.
They did at the DPM. Probably the only race around where almost everybody wins.
Already thinking about Louisville.
Eat good food, drink good beer and love the one you're with.
OGQ

The State Championships were last weekend. A big goal for the year. I was on course excited. Over excited big time. I was "there" on Friday. I mean packed,dialed the bikes had the "coon tune" I was ready to rock.
Pacing like a caged animal. Maybe it was my turn to release the Kracken!


So Jaunty and I made the drive to RaChaCha to stay with Duffy. See old friends and do this. After an awful nights sleep. It dawned a Kross morning cold,windy and the possibility of rain.
Kitted up, tried not to be a dick. Focused,let's do this. Pre rode the course. Nerves. Too much pressure here on myself.
Finally it's time. They do call ups for the Series. Then the scrum. I slot in next to Tim O'Shea. Might as well put the diesel behind the Top Fuel dragster for the start. Let him make the hole. Rule one followed. make the cut. The legs aren't firing. Trouble with lines in the gravel,but holding my own. Brian comes by me on the road. I cling to him. No need to pass right now. Get the legs moving. Gravel, Rule three violated, minimize mistakes. They come in droves. He gets a gap because I'm trying too hard. Third lap the legs open up. But the gravel is my downfall. Then I finally tell my self go faster where you can slower in the gravel. Now I'm riding like me. Brian has a great ride and takes the gold I take the silver. Probably was a bit of jerk at the end. People are congratulating me. I nod and grumble, second wasn't good enough. But I'm good about the defeat to Brian and congratulate him. Someone says "Karl, How'd you do?"  I mumble I was "riding in the Land of I suck" today. I think they were a bit taken back by that. Our class has been fun this season with no clear cut winners.
Rick, Sharon, Anne ,Jim and Duffy are all stoked for  me. Jaunty knows I'm pissed at myself. But that's racing.
It could have been a big fat zero,nada,zip. Many would be happy to podium.
Drop it. Overall the Gangstas killed it today. Lots of podiums for the team.


So we enjoyed a beer from Rohrbachs. Cheered the big dogs. Headed to the South Wedge for beers and food. First to Beale Street then to the Tap and Mallet. Good to be with old friends. Thanks for coming out and cheering and making me laugh.


Now this weekend is the oldest race in NYS. Race promotion has me burning the candle at both ends.
Just need to race and have fun tomorrow. The really be ready for the DPM. One point is all I need for another seasons gaol of my upgrade to Cat 2. The DPM has been good to me. I will ride with the strength of two men. Thanks Dave.


So here I am not sleeping in. Fretting issues for the race. It will come off.  Plan to work and work the plan.
That's what I did.


Love the one you're with. Eat good food, Drink good beer.


Thanks to all for the support  in the Dirty Little Klub.

Snake Farm, that's what the tire choice has turned into. But only one snake rises to the surface.
Michelin Muds. The chosen ones stayed on the Pride.
Country Mouse and jaunty mouse made the trek to Syracuse. Now this course is either fast and dry or muddy. Today it was muddy again. Early rains and morning dew made it a bit sloppy.
Following Coach Mayhew's advice. I went for a good start but not the holeshot. Out of nowhere mark Shenstone zooms by. Can't have this. Then in an uphill right hander I hit the gas to cut inside and wheelie turn this corner almost lose it. But kept the gas on and blasted by two people. We hit the road and Mark Williams comes by. I jump on his wheel,but he is flying. So settle in and get the rhythm.Then crank it back up. Damn that was hard. But I card the win in the 55 plus. I am wasted,nothing in the tank. Roll around with the empty eyes and shoot a gel at the car. i have twenty minutes of recovery. Feel a bit better. Line up and the legs aren't there. I do two laps and pull the plug. Why dig a big hole? Usually the double is my turning point. But I guess Omme was.
We hit the Dinosaur Barbecue for post ride grub and beers. Mission accomplished.

Double up Buttercup.

Red Cross and the Cross Fire challenge were on the plate for this weekend. City mouse was in town and Jaunty is a big supporter. Nice having a race so close.
Last year Red Cross was a rain soaked epic quagmire of a race.
This year it was cool and dry and warming up. It had rained the day before so the early races were a bit slippy.
AJ pulled a big holeshot in the masters I slotted in around fifth in the first turn. I knew Bill would be tough. So tried to pull the advantage where I thought I had it. I had the gap. Mark and Bill were chasing hard. I'd gone up on tire pressure to avoid flats there. The front wasn't quite as solid as I liked in the turns but it wasn't bottoming out. Then I slid out and got tangled in the tape. Damn. This closed the gap for Bill. People were cheering us both. Then he attacked on the run ,but I got him. Was holding him at bay with one to go. he made a smart move as a lapper impeded me in the barriers. I jumped right back on him. Tried for the pass going in the tunnel,then we bumped I had to get both feet out. Time lost. Stay close. Figuring the place to pass was in the long  off camber if I could stay close. But he nipped me. A good race. But.


Sunday brought the second annual Cross Fire Challenge. A low key fun event. Teeter totters on the barriers. Not your average Kross. as Tim O'shea said "Any race is hard".
The plan today was give it my all. Haven't doubled back to back days in awhile. Last year Glenn said at the start "Our job is to catch all the open men". I told Paul this.( I caught all but four) Then the goal was get the holeshot and turn the screws, I did it. The first time up the hill I wasn't so sure about my legs. But what the hell. Then they loosened up and I hit the gas wherever I could. The gap grew,now I wanted out of sight out of mind.Come on little legs. They did it. The mice were cheering. AJ was telling me. You've done rule one and two concentrate on rule three. Only one bobble on the last lap as I pushed a line. job done, punch the sky. Felt great in the end.
City mouse made a veggie chili for the apres ride activities. Corn muffins too. Lots of good food, a curry, a pumpkin chili. Nice breads and desserts.
Thanks Pat and Marsha for hosting the Dirty Little Klub. All the cool kids were there.
I was glad City mouse got to see me win.

This weekend States looms. Weather looks to be cool and clear. A bit of fine tuning and the point will be sharpened. Then it's onto race promotion.
Eat good food, drink good beer, ride your bike. Love the one you're with. OGQ

Snake Farm by Ray Wylie Hubbard

Well a woman I love is named Ramona


She kinda looks like Tempest Storm

And she can dance like little Egypt

She works down at the snake farm





Chorus:



Snake Farm – it just sounds nasty

Snake Farm – well it pretty much is

Snake Farm – it's a reptile house

Snake Farm – Uuuggghhhhh......





Well Ramona's got a keen sense of humor

She got a tattoo down her arm

It's of a python eatin' a little mouse

Wearin' a sailor hat that says snake farm



Chorus



I asked Ramona how come she works there

She says it's got it's charms

Nothing to do in the winter

Now and then some kid gets bit at the snake farm



Chorus



Well Ramona likes her malt liquor

And a band from Wales thats called The Alarm

She said she cried when they broke up

She still plays their records at the snake farm



Chorus



Sometimes Ramona calls me up

And says come on down here, it's getting warm

She runs everybody off

And we...you know...it's a snake farm



Chorus



Chorus

The King headed to the Ommegang Brewery with city mouse in tow to help the Gangstas set up  the course for our event. We had plenty of help and I appreciated others asking for my wisdom on course layout. All added their own touch and we made a great course. Staking it out around the waffle and puppets event. Maybe even creating a few converts to come watch the next day. Six hours later we were done.
Headed to Oneonta for dinner at the Autumn Cafe. Good food and good beer. So after a nice meal we headed back to the humble Amber Inn. Minimal was it's feature. But it was clean warm and dry.
Up early prepped the race breakfast and headed to the Brewery. City mouse was supposed to work the reg table? I'd help a bit with course prep. Then suit up.
Kitted up and hit the course. The Michelins were working and pressures felt good. Legs were not feeling the Mad Alchemy Chocolatee love. The were feeling the being on my feet all day. But you have to make the best of what you have. Plan to work, work the plan. There was a Vermonter there in my age group that looked strong. I got a call up because of the Kirkland race. But I was on the right and should have moved left.
Off goes the gun and I get pinched at the first corner. Kick it in and move up. The Vermonter goes,get on his wheel. He punches the hill can't quite answer that but make it up in the technical/ But I'm already bumping the rev limiter hard. So have to ease up a bit and settle in get the diesel working. Start figuring out the course. OK ended up fourth. A bit of fade when I usually turn it up. Had decided to do back to back races.So I run in .change numbers,shoot a gel and some water. Toe the line mid pack. Oops forgot my timing chip. Back I go and now at the back of the pack. The first two laps are easy. It's a big living organism back here. Catch my breath as we lumber around. Punch the hill pass people. Move to anew organism,pass when I can. See an opening and go for it. Settle in and train. Then a Chris Cookie guy and I go at it for two laps in the end it comes down to a sprint he gets it after sitting on for two laps. but that's cool. The extra race will pay off. It's a rest week in the training cycle. Pics here.
http://mrw-design.com/ommegang10/

Thursday is too nice to pass up after three days of monsoons. It will just be a ride. High winds but no need to push it. Legs were so so. But that's cool too. Rest as hard as you train. The Swandrome awaited.
So the Texter emailed me and we had a plan for dinner. Text, text, text. We hit Los Tapitios then The Ale house for Firkin Friday and have a Dogfish 75 minute IPA and  Oktoberfest of various breweries. About midnight the rumblings start. This is going to be  bad. Backwash over and over. I give up and drive the bus thinking the evil will leave me. No it continues till 4:30 am along with a fever and aching. Needless to say I'm wiped out from lack of sleep.
Get up and meet Bobber for breakfast. I have an appetite but not much hope the coffee will remove any evil that is left in me. It helped.
Then had to get ready for house guests. Thought the exhausted haze I'm thinking Thai. Nothing like a green curry hot to rid the body of all things bad. It helped. I hit the bed early and had a decent nights sleep.
We were up and headed to the Swandrome. What a day. Bright blue fall sky. Low key,but hard event. I'd decided to give the Clements another try. More pressure in the rear. The front was fine.
Toed the line with everyone open men etc. Ad got the holeshot then some Syracuse guy took over. Slotted in the mix and tried not to hit the rev limiter. Then it happened a big hole opened and I moved into second. Pace yourself. We had the split and the idea is to hang in there. It was a mix of old and young. Then on lap three. Bang a flat off the back I go. Way off. Ride to the pit get a wheel change. Didn't bring the spare bike. Chase. Caught a few. Keep working the course. A few more. People are telling me my progress. One to go and one to go to be back where I was. I end up ninth overall fourth in the 55 as best I can tell. Bill Erickson is killing it. A target. I could have been fifth or sixth had a I hung in there. But I had fun and rode well.
When I was walking my wheels back  a man I didn't know that had been cheering me said " It's a joy to watch you race". That took me back. I thanked him. Was the gunfighter back? I hope so.
What a day. Nature at it's best. Now for week one of the second phase.
Eat good food,drink good beer and love the one you're with. The King

Here's part two of choices. I made the right one. Michelin muds. Carded my first win of the year and in quite awhile. Good choice.

Now I've gone and added another arrow to the quiver. Clemeet PDX. These have a high volume and a pretty open tread. So I headed out to warm up with Glenn. The rear was a bit squishy. So I added air.bled air,rode deemed it okay to race.

Toed the line knowing Drumroll likes the holeshot as much as I do. Go I'm in the barriers first. The long legs are quick and a gap forms. Through the start finish and someone yells. "Karl you've got a gap". I punch it up the road. One match burned,but it started the selection fire. Out comes Faso first,then the train. Glenn, Ad, Drumroll, Bill and Tom. I hop in the middle. Breathe. Then we hit the rooty part. Bike is all over the place tire is way soft.Scary soft but I tip toe and hang. Wasted energy. Lap two and I hit the road in a huge flat track side. Glenn calls scary. I stand to sprint and it's all slides. Bad move. I pit on the next lap and rather than get my other bike I pump up the tire. Mills tells me I'm now 14th when I come around. he's baffled by the drop. So the goal is now get back where I was. First in the Kross is the threesome of Tim Leonard. Who says " What were you napping?". he pulls hard, I roll past he says " You owe me one." Sure, get on the diesel. He surprises me with an inside move. But I hit it on the field. Next is Brian and Bill. Bill fights and trades punches we move forward. I tuck in thinking it's two to go. We hit the road again. Someone yells it over. What? Bill thought one to go? Me two to go? Bad move. But showed I could come back. Overall eighth. I was OK with that that. Glenn won.

Jeremy's Krew had beer,brats,bagels,apples and coffee for all. Bench raced and saw some faces from the past. Dan Timmerman and Scott Hannon. Two Ithaca regulars. Jeffina was there too. First time I've seen them all season. It was fun making Katina laugh. She won and gave us her gift certificate for Bandwagon Brewing. We headed there after the race. They weren't open till five. But gave us a beer for coming in. Nice.
Over to Viva Taqueria for Mex.Good food with good people. I wonder if Jake will remember what his Dad said ten years from now?

So it's the big Omme weekend this weekend. The plan is working. Drive up to Omme,heckle, drink some beer.
Enjoy life,Drink good beer,eat good food and ride Kross. OGQ

  It's time to return the Kingdom. One of the originals has started a race called the Kirkland Kross. Margaret has been to all my races. Now she is returning the favor and running her own. The Kingdom grows.

  Lets look at this picture. When I race my SS 29'er or any MTB. I find a tire that works for me and stick with it. Maybe I'll change if it's really muddy. But I'm pretty much a one tire guy. Until Kross that is.
I used to run Tioga Greyhounds. One of the best. Then they quit making them. I snatched up what Nash bar has left and made a good run of them.
So from left to right we have a tubular TUFO, overrated and not all that versatile. Then a Geax MUD, OK on the rear, scary on the front even if it's directional. Next a Michelin Mud. This is my go to tire. Maybe a bit of overkill at times. But it flat out works all the time. Predictable. Next a Ritchey Speedmax. Very narrow, can be worth one gear up, oddly works well in mud too,on the rear. Then we have a big fat Challenge Fango. These puppies are still up in the air. If run at low pressures they slip in off cambers and are squirmy. Maybe the Euros like them that way. Not me. Next we have a new contestant the Duro Ellie Mae. So far so fast. Pretty compliant,unproven in the wet. These tires descriptions sound like Craigslist adds.
Fat 35mm seeks other for an hour of fun. New and unblemished. Are you the one?
  To go along with this. Here is where I'm going to being planting my ass for Kross. Will I have the dreaded Waffle ass? not so far. But it works great needed a few mods. But modification is the key to customization.

  How'd we get here? Well I'll be fussing over my tire choices Sunday. It's always wet with morning dew there. Making the grass slippery on the off cambers. The usual choice is the Michelins. I want to see how Ellie Mae would perform in those conditions.
  So in an effort to shed a few pounds. Drinking has ceased,even though I have a case and a half of just purchased of Flying Dog Raging' Bitch along with lots of Omme and other IPA's. This was a summer of beer. Good beers,no regrets.
  The food edits will also slow way down. The "Road goes on forever and the party never ends" ended at Labor day.

Here I have two nice things to share. First is  what I think is one of the best pics I've taken in along time.

Next we have a motorcycle I'd love to own. The KTM Supermoto 990. They made a deal. But not good enough to lure me off the Strom.

I think once the team sees this jacket they'll want one.

Enjoy life. Love the one you're with. Ride Kross. OGQ

Well Country mouse and Jaunty mouse made the trek to Pixburg. City had gotten he and I tickets for the Jimmy Buffett concert. So we rolled into town in time for me to do the wed night crit series. The legs felt good despite the race the night before. Recognized a few faces to ride with. 40 laps tonight. It was fast from the gun but then settled down. There was a guy on Serotta that was riding really smooth. I tucked in behind him for most of the race. My plan was actually go for a finish tonight. With two to go there were three off the front I slotted into around fifth coming out of turn four the bell started ringing. WTF? Game on. Well as I've said before. I'm not a sprinter but I gave it my all. A top third finish.
 We went to Beer Nutz to check it out. Good place. Odd no bar,lots of taps and good bar food. Friendly atmosphere. Now that the six and save has changed hands and has a different clientele.

Thursday was to be the concert. We made Jaunty some food for dinner and headed out to show. There was a accident on the highway and our one hour drive turned into three. The parking was just what you'd think. Full. So we were slotted into row ZZZZZZ and beyond. Parrot heads do know how to tailgate. We set up some chairs,had some food from Whole Paycheck a couple good beers and headed for our seats. En route a guy with a complete bar says "You old timers look like you could use  a shot." He had a wash tub full of margarita shots. We indulged.The beach balls were flying. Jimmy played all the hits. He did my current fave. Southern Cross, also covered Brown Eyed Girl. Rocked an encore with Fins. City mouse was thrilled. A good time and a great show. As Jimmy says "He has the best job on earth". He does.

Next up was the Carnegie Museum. We did all three floors. But the dinosaurs were the coolest part. They even had a T-Rex. Not sure how these critters didn't trample everything in sight when they were alive.

Add caption

The design section had some cool chairs and furniture.The next day found us on the road to see the Frank Lloyd Wright house Falling water.I'd seen it 30 years ago when it was "Falling Down". Impressive but depressing. Now it was all restored. Very very cool. If you get a chance go see it. It must be spectacular in the fall. Just the idea it was built in the 30's is amazing. We went to the House of a 1000 beers today too.

We hit another G2hg4 in Pix. Three hundred of us in one place the lawyer breeders beat feet from this place after they realized we were taking over in large numbers. Run home little boys. Lots of laughs.

Saturday was a more casual day. Hang by the pool. Get a ride in. Get prepped for the third Bo ol Mo Happening at City mouses.Somehow we cooked up a storm made a ton of appetizers. The beer and wine flowed freely. Tales of our youth were told. Laughter flowed as freely as the spirits.

Monday was the drive back. We decided to check out the Zippo museum in Bradford. Construction slowed our travel way down. But the Zippo was fun.The rest of the trip home was in the land of nod for sure. Tired tired mice.

Then we had the Big Ol Mo happening at Franks. This has become an annual overnight. So people don't have to drive. The menu was grilled tuna, a corn blueberry salad, fresh corn, grilled pizza apps, other apps included tapenade, hummus and baba ganoush. We never lack for food in this group. Cliff brought the almond pear tart from NYC form dessert. It is so tasty and  a great way to finish off the meal.

We made a nice breakfast and rolled back to Bingo.

Kross is just around the corner and I've had the Ti rig out a few times. Also getting crazy with sponsors and race sites.

Hanging there.

.

Wedding updates to come. Haven't been to one in 30 years and this year it will be three.

Eat good food,drink good beer,love the one you're with.

OGQ

The  new "Enemy of Fun" debuted this weekend. Since there is so much going on in the summer this weekend was it. Sorry that the "horses" couldn't be here due to prior commitments.
But two Ommegangsters headed out in the dark clouds.
Alexander (the first lollipop on the map) was the first to be tackled. Basically it stays the same grade all the way up. Luckily you have ten miles in your legs.

Then comes Beartown which would be classified as the easiest of the climbs ,fairly long but stair stepped and has a good rhythm to it.
This leads us to the appropriately named Walling road. There is a 17% grade pitch in there near the top. Short and painful.
Over the top and down Belden Hill to Dilly,which is basically like going back up Belden but turns back into dirt for part of it.

A quick pit stop at the Mini Mart for water and to get chilled by the AC while we were wet. Then it was back in to the rain. Drop down Walling (the second lollipop on the map) it was back Mead to Tunnel and on to Vincent. Instead of Mead to Beartown to Monkey Run.
Ahhh, Vincent one of those hills that just looks at you and points to the sky. Some new pavement helped.
I almost made it seated. Almost.
Onwards to Palmer. This one is steep in the front,then a grinder with a fast descent.
A few hundred yards up the road and Path of Life appears. Now this one catches you totally by surprise.
The bottom looks innocuous enough, then you realize you're in your 23 already. Then it kicks up, there goes the 25. It kicks again,then one more time. Ouch. Maybe you should Yield to it.?

Now it's downhill and rollers to Nowlan, just get over it and it's all new pavement and a fun run back to the house.

A little over 5000 feet of climbing in a little over 50 miles.

Here's a link to it.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41834811

Was tired but not wasted by it.

So went to see Inception. A good flick. We had to sit in the second row. WTF? Must have been the rainy day. Many layers to follow in this movie, so pay attention.

So drink good beer, eat good food and love the one your with.

OGQ

I always like musical references for my life. Odd I'm not a musician,but music is an important part of my daily life.
Changes in Attitude. I decided to the Six summits and a six pack mountain bike ride, also know as Drunken Sunday instead of the Whitney Point road race. Let's see WPRR I've done probably 17 time DS zero,even though they've had it 9 years.
On my way there I'm listening to Outlaw Country and a song comes on "A good day to be a bad husband" by the band "I can kick any sonofabitch". Great lyrics.  How can you go wrong with. "I gave you whiskey cigarettes and porn". Good guitar work and that local talent band sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1UMckwZGFg  I don't know how to embed a video so here's the link.

Up bright and early for breakfast and the first beer at the shop. I chose a Bruxelles de Blanche. One of my favorites. Start the day with a little spice and fruit. I sat down with my fresh off the grill sandwich and there was a pack of Marbs. Nice.

So all twenty of us fueled up and headed for Ely Park. Of course it started to rain. It was warm and all was good. Up.Up we went. lots of thick grass. Single speeds to the front. Then we descended to our second beer of the day. MMM fig newtons and beer. I had a Sam Adams Blackberry wheat. Not bad. The bikes were pointed towards the Brick Yard. I hadn't ridden there in probably 10 years. Never a favorite. but the trails were fun and down we went to Jim's house for  a  Lowenbrau and donuts. Fuel of Champions.

Next was Millers farm. The last time I was up here, I was dropped and got lost. Ended up in some angry homeowners backyard and rode back to Bingo n the road. Today's plan was hang with Todd. up and Up we went. Too bad the fog clouded the view. It's truly a 360 view up there. On the descent the group split with one group taking a wrong turn and ending up in  a dog pen. We think this may have been some sort of X-Files pen to capture humans and harvest organs. But they escaped unscathed. On to Dick's house for more beer and food. Here I had a Southern Tier Pale Ale. MMMMM. Very tasty.  We had bagels,peanut butter,cream cheese and watermelon. Dick's yard had some interesting yard ornaments.

On wards and upwards. again SS to the fore. we were headed to Mills St and the bowls. I'm amazed at how all theses trails link around little Bingo. Todd Josh and I did a little extra loop. Todd was flying on the cambers. I hit a stump and lost my rhythm a bit but still kept Josh in sight. Apparently we were behind schedule for the day. So we dropped down to Matt's house for Old Milwaukee and Matt's secret dip. Tasty.
One summit to go. Storm clouds loomed. Todd said it would be a TT to the top of South Mountain. SS to the front. The three of us were up first and then the group changed. Todd said this is the X-19 group. Off we went. X-19 is a great trail. Nice way to finish the day. Then it was a split back to the shop or climb back to South mountain for the descent? The thermometer in the back of my head popped up. Done cooked ready to eat. I think Todd was disappointed I didn't go. Then one of the Rachacha gets a double flat. lots of flats today. With that fixed we rolled back to the shop for more beer and lots of good food. Cyclists sure can cook. Big Thanks to the guys at the shop for hosting this event. See you next year.
In the end my hands and feet had called it quits. The brain wasn't far behind.

Also this weekend Saturday. We headed up to Ommegang for some product and to see the old time vintage baseball game.

We took a picnic and had a "ballpark delicacies" there. Then the rain started. seems to always rain there. Good time to fill the cars with product and get out of there.
Jake became a Hobbit in the rain.

His Dad Needed to get aero for the ESG's.

 Mucho bucks later we were on the road headed home in a crazy storm. We drove out of it and all was good.

Enjoy life,ride your bike,drink good beer and love your friends. OGQ. Here's one of me for all of you who asked.

This blog started out as kind of a race diary. I'm still alive type thing. Like anything , it has taken a new form now and then.

Take for instance my music habits. Basically XM sits on Outlaw Country, Margaritaville or Classic rock. Then I found Backspin. Old school hip hop. It's just too funny. Dre,NWA and Snoop Dawg. It's amazing how much money these guys have made rapping about sex,drugs, guns and violence. Just remember boys,black aren't the only ones with a penchant for writing about poverty and bad living. The WT does a fine job with meth,guns and traler parks.

I've ventured into food,beers and relationships. Wait a minute. Sounds like I could write a rap or country song from that and have all bases covered. Don't hold your breath.

There's been some gore. My hospital pics. Maybe Bob feels better now.

So part of the "Binghamton Syndicate" headed to Cuse for a recon ride of next weeks race course. What we didn't know was we were going racing. The Gangsters showed along with few other Cuse powerhouses. Jeffina was there. Good to see them.
So we rolled up Song and down the other side and into the wind. The attacks started and continued,over and over. Long story short it was a helluva work out. But needed. Even SoPro, can we call him that? Was wasted by it.

On Jeffina's suggestion we hit Sweet Basil and had a bruschetta pie with a good beer.
Yummy.
Then home to rest up for the surprise Kracken Bday party.
His Mom and sister pulled it off.  You'd think the Syndicate hadn't eaten before hand. Jones and I made a beeline for the tables so we'd have a chair to sit in. More food. Sure and beer and diet soda. Yes please.

Dave was surprised and pleased we all made it for him. His Mom was a great host.
Josh was throwing down that west coast style.  Good times by all.
Even I made into the pics. Rare but true, another request from a reader. "We never see you." So here's the OF and AJ.

I'm off for another night of Belgian racing tonight.

How about you? What's life hold for you?
Thanks for reading. OGQ

So I have a few vices. Like, Bicycles, food and beer. Or are, What once were vices are now habits? I'm a pretty simple guy. None of these vices affect my ability to function daily.

So the mice took advanced soapmaking. I combined  a vice into class and Made an Ommegang Witte soap. City mouse made a goats milk Chai tea soap. You trade bars with other classmates. One lady called my beer soap weird. Good for her. Stay in your Ivory world.
I got a nice gardening soap and City got a almond bar. Shower anyone?

On the food side tried a nice pineapple polenta with a pineapple salsa. The curry for City's "Men who cook" turned out to be a big hit in Pa. Rocked that one.

Riding has been scientific to say the least. Cory and I have been true the program and I can feel it working. We did one of his famed road rides saturday. Now he posted it for all to come. Only 4 "ommegangsters" showed. Some view us as crazy riding our good bikes on dirt and seasonal roads. Way more fun than grinding out hours in the wind on the road.

Your fancy bike can do it.

Blogger is having a mind of its own again here.

City mouse did a nice concert. Jaunty and I made it down for it. Good to see the Tom and Mary again too. Ran into some old friends at dinner. Didn't even recognize them.

Looking forward to racing starting. How are the legs? Where's the fitness? It's all money in the bank towards that goal of a Kross Championship. Haven't even rode the new rig yet.  Right now the Merlin still continues to shine. Single Speed Palooza is only weeks away. Then the genetic freaks will be out in force.

Enjoy Life, Drink good beer, love the one your with.

Listen to Ray Wylie Hubbard , Elizabeth Cook, Robert Earl Keen, The Allman Brothers, Neil Young and Jimmy Buffett. The list could go on and on.  Add in the Band of heathens and The lost Immigrants or even the Bonzo Dog Band.

Now get out and ride.