Tour de Cure

this is roughly 6:30am at the start of the Tour de Cure, no real problems at the start, and yes the sprinter van is fun to drive I just have to remember it is long
gathering for the ride
right before the start
line of hungry cyclists I am at the back of the line
we had live music to go with all the festivities
it is always amusing to watch adults on tricycles

this is what happens when wrenches and beer come together it is called no handed trike racing
on the home stretch beer still in hand and not a drop lost
from tricycle riding...
... to swing dancing you have got to love an old man who has diabetes and still has this much energy
pod o bikes at 6 in the morning on day 2
these bikes are on the road right behind the hotel near the start of day 2


the chaos in the sea of bikes at 6:30 am
my rest stop day 2
this was the first group that passed my rest stop they blew right on by. I can't blame them it was a little warm and there was only 7 miles to go
father and son on day 2 mile 70ish
after church let out these two girls had to pet the dogs
the poor dog looks like he is suffering

I made the front page

This was taken a while ago. I was at a farmers market in downtown Apex doing safety checks of bikes for bike to work week.

The Battle of the Crabtree Pumptrack

it was a day like any other day so shin decided to go to Lake Crabtrees Pump track. along the way to the Pump track it did not notice anything out of the ordinary, so it proceeded to start riding. the first few rounds on the track were like any other, then it happened.

shin started to sense pedal was angered and shin did not understand why. shin had a bad exit from the Pump track so it turned around to head for the start. along the way shin tried a bunny hop. this put pedal over the top.

the birds in the area that herd the commotion took a look and this is what they saw.

in mid bunny hop the pedal decided to kick the foot off itself. pedal let its anger out upon landing and struck the shin with such force shin did not even realize it had been hit . the battle was vary short. shin fought desperately to defend itself but soon realized that flesh and bone were no match for pedal seeing that pedals body was made of metal and had a few spikes attached to it.

after shins valiant effort to defend itself it saw that pedal had drawn first blood and decided to give in in the hope that one day after it had healed and when pedal is in a better mood they can once again go to the Pump track and ride in harmony with one another.

when the two shins reunited right shin was pleased to see that left shin was not broken however right shin was annoyed that it had to take up the slack while left shin was healing.

one week after the Pump track attack pedal and shin made up and they thought it best to let one another rest for a while before either of them causes any more harm.

The Islander by Nightwish

An old man by a seashore
At the end of day
Gazes the horizon
With sea winds in his face
Tempest-tossed island
Anchorage unpainted
And a ship without a name

Sea without a shore for the banished one unheard
He lightens the beacon, light at the end of world
Showing the way lighting hope in their hearts
The ones on their travels homeward from afar

This is for long-forgotten
Light at the end of the world
Horizon crying
The tears he left behind long ago

The albatross is flying
Making him day dream
The time before he became
One of the world's unseen
Princess in the tower
Children in the fields
Life gave him all:
An island of the universe

Now his love's a memory
A ghost in the fog
He sets the sails one last time
Saying farewell to the world
Anchor to the water
Seabed far below
Grass still in his feet
And a smile beneath his brow

This is for long-forgotten
Light at the end of the world
Horizon crying
The tears he left behind so long ago

Bike building 101

First you take a bunch of parts like these

Next find a frame such as this LeMond

Attach head set, stem, spacers, front fork and front brake to the head tube

Attach crank set and bottom bracket to bottom bracket shell, front derailleur to seat tube, rear brake to seat stays and rear derailleur to derailleur hanger

Once everything is attached you install cables and housing, wheels and chain. When all is said and done you get a complete ridable bike.

Now that you are done take advantage of the nice weather and go ride.

Fun with Campagnolo

This is what happens when two tiny springs break and that is only the back half of the shifter. Imagine putting this back together.

Sram Technical University

I spent four days being fed the SRAM koolaid the end result I would buy their product. The first day was learning about their shifting system and how easy it is to take apart and rebuild. Days three four and five were spent learning suspension theory and how to take apart and reassemble their forks and rear shocks. It is easier than I thought. As for the whole experiance imagine sixteen bicycle mechanics and two instructors then picture them all in the same room, on top of that they took us out to trivia night at a local pub. We are an interesting breed of people.
every morning I went to class I looked at this view
this is the hill that I took the moon shots on it was across the street from the hotel
this is the hotel we stayed at across the street is where I took the moon shots

fun with moon shots

The Escapist by Nightwish

Who's there knocking at my window
The owl and the dead boy
The night whispers my name
All the dying children

Virgin snow beneath my feet
Painting the world in white
I tread the way and lose myself into a tale

Come hell or high water
My search will go on
Clayborne voyage without an end

Anightingale in a golden cage
That's me locked in reality's cage
Come someone make my heavy heart light
Come undone, bring me back to life
It all starts with a lullaby

Journy homeward bound
A sound of a dolphin calling
Tearing off the mask of man
The tower, my sole guide

This is who I am
Escapist, paradise seeker
Farwell, now time to fly
Out of sight, out of time, away from all lies

Anightingale in a golden cage
That's me locked in reality's cage
Come someone make my heavy heart light
Come undone, bring me back to life
It all starts with a lullaby

more coloring goodness

If I were a Centaur she would be my date

The Fate of Norns by Amon Amarth

I feel a chill in my heart
Like lingering winter cold
I and my son are torn apart
He was just 6 winters old

My first born was he
And the last of my kin
The last one to carry my name
Death smiled at him its deadly grin
There is no one for me to blame

The fate of Norns await us all
There is no way to escape
The day to answer Oden's call
Or walk through Hel's gate

I carry him to my ship
He seems to be asleep
But the deep blue colour of his lips
Is enough to make me weep

No man should have to bury his child
Yet this has been my share
the tears I shed run bitter and wild
It's a heavy burden to bear

His body feels so light in my arms
His skin is pale as snow
Yet his weight feels heavy in my heart
As my sadness continues to grow

Allfather!
What fate has been given me?
Why must I suffer?
Why must I feel this pain?
Allfather!
Life has lost it's meaning to me
I think I'm going insane!

I lay him down on a pyre
A burial worthy of a king
And as I lie down by his side
I hear the weaving Norns sing

The fate of Norns await us all
There is no way to escape
The day to answer Oden's call
Or walk through Hel's gate

The fate of Norns await us all
I know this to be true
It's time to answer Oden's call
My son, he calls for me and you

Snow Day

This is what I woke up to an then decided to go riding
this is lake Crabtree
start of ride
where I came from
where I am going
the road less traveled
that ice block at the crank set made going uphill difficult
this is why disc brakes are good I did not have any stopping power
this is after two hours of mashing through the woods