Mooseknuckler Cycling Alliance

Argh! I woke up feeling like somebody jammed a whole bottle of milk in my nose. Yeah, I know it ain’t pretty. It’s been freezing cold, literally, up here and I don’t think will help me get over whatever this is I’ve caught. Plus, It’s supposed to snow again. As much as I love to hate this place it really isn’t that bad. After all I get to spend my day working on bikes and trying to be a piss poor journalist. Task accomplished.

Life goes on. Ride it on a bike.

The Revolution is on, this just in from Cole Gibbons:

Maybe you’ve heard of Critical Mass. Maybe you haven’t.

Critical Mass is an event, generally held on the last Friday of each month, where bicyclists take to the streets. Riding en masse forces motorists to share the road and raises awareness for bicycle commuting. Though most commonly held in large cities, this is a chance to let the motorists of Logan know that we’re here to stay!

For those who are still confused, this is a very low key event. Anybody, whether you ride once a year or everyday, is invited to attend. The pace of the mass will be slow–it’s generally a good time to catch up with friends and enjoy bliss that comes from zero-emissions transportation.
We’re meeting outside Sunrise Cyclery at 4:00 on Friday Nov. 30 (usually masses start at 5:30, but we don’t want to ride in the dark). We will ride for maybe a half hour, maybe an hour. We’ll see. At around 5:00, we will end up at the True Aggie Cafe (a great deli at 117 N. Main Street) where we will be graced by the musical stylings of Chris Young.

Again, anyone is invited to attend. Please don’t think this is a ‘cyclist only’ deal–we’re just a group of people who feel we can still make a difference.

Ah, a long tiring weekend in SG, I can’t ask for more, but I will come the end of December.

My biggest goal for Turkey Genocide day was to ride all the trails in SG over the weekend. I almost succeeded.

I arrived late Wednesday night. Thursday morning when the sun came through my window I jumped out of bed to get going. I was hoping for a 30 mile day. I had a quick breakfast and loaded up. The Barrel Roll in the Santa Clara Reserve was the first trail I bagged. It took about 45 minutes. I contemplated doing two laps and then thought it better to head over to the Barrel Ride in Green Valley to move on with my goal. I rode up the race course and jumped on over to Poppy Trail, riding it down and then back up. I hopped back on to the Barrel Ride and finished it out, taking the wash to flush my way out the bottom. Total mileage for the morning was 19.

I had to partake in the gluttony of Thanksgiving and it was planned for 2 o’clock. I got home with just enough time to shower and sit down for the big feast. Of course, there was lots of turkey, which I did not eat, but fortunately certain people had made things that were vegetarian so I got my fill. We sat around til 3 or so and then I started to get the gypsy train moving again. The afternoon ride was planned for the Church Rocks cherry loop from the Prospector trail. The Mooseknuckler-mobile was full. My three brothers-in-law loaded up and came along for the torture. We bagged the trail and made it home just in time for pie. Church Rocks tacked on another 10 miles making my Turkey day suffering 29 miles.

Friday was a no ride Friday, not so much by choice but out of necessity. My dad has a pinched nerve in his back and currently doesn’t have full use of his arm. What that means for this Knuckler is that I had to drive the truck up to Cedar Mountain in the snow and cut down Christmas trees all day. It was probably the most upper body exercise I’ve gotten in years. Apparently chain saws and pine trees are heavy and can seem to become even heavier after carrying them all day. ‘nuf said.

So Saturday was a good day. I was feeling my riding from Thursday and the tree killing/moving from Friday. It was a perfect combination for another 30 mile day. ProZac called me and we met up to do an out and back on Stucki Springs, from the bottom. We rode about 4 miles up and then turned around and bombed back down for a ride total of 8 miles. Of course, this was just the warm up for what Bryce and I had planned for the afternoon.

I left ProZac and headed directly to Pratt’s house. He was in proper form sporting his Mexican restaurant motif, Salsa bike and Tequila jersey. We loaded up and headed out to Hurricane to do the Goulds, JEM, Hurricane Rim loop. I was starving so I ate some Funyons and grabbed some Clif Bars and Perpetuem from Red Rock Bicycle. This turned out to be the only time I saw Mr. Gurr. We didn’t get our usual game of pool in this trip and yes I missed it. But anyways, I digress. Bryce and I had a great ride except Linda passed us at the top of the first climb, she was on her second lap. We didn’t see her again until the next day. The 21 mile loop was a lot easier than I had remembered it. I guess all the steep endless climbing we have been doing is finally paying off. I wish it felt like that when I ride here. Saturday ride total, somewhere around 29.

Sunday was my fun day. There were a lot of us. The Mooseknuckler-mobile was full again, Bryce, Cimarron, Kathleen and myself. We met up with Fast Eddie, the Rock Brothers, Joel Bingham, Linda, Quentin and Dj from Over the Edge in Hurricane, and Byron from Specialized. And off to the Goose we went. We rode the normal route, er I mean raced the normal route; up the South rim and down the North. We even hit up the Bowls and Ledges off shoot trail. The ride went down in more or less a racer style with lots of stops. When Quentin, Doug, Eddie or Byron were in the lead it was a sprint to the next resting place. Of course, there was also the Bryce circus going on at differing places. We were out there almost all day. As group rides go, this one was a slow moving gypsy train just like every other group ride I’ve been on. Linda has some pictures of the ride posted on her blog.

Well, that was my weekend. It is currently freezing cold and snowing up here in the Polar North. I’m guessing that I won’t ride a whole lot more until the end of December when I’m back down South and I can ride without wearing half my wardrobe.

Peace. Love. and Revolution.

I went to the grocery store last night. I know that isn’t anything to write home about, but they gave me 5 cents back. This is something that has never happened before. A major corporation, Smith’s, gave me money. It didn’t have anything to do with Fresh Values or the likes, they gave it back because I brought my own bag.
We need to back up to Sunday for this to make any sense, and possibly a bit past that. When it was raining a few weeks back I broke down and bought a Green. Fact of the matter is it was almost as cheap as buying racks and fenders for one of my bikes and I didn’t have to retrofit anything. Purchase done. I rode it once, when it was raining and then it sat. It was raining Sunday so I dragged it back down the stairs and headed towards the grocery store. I’ve done my shopping on my bike for a while unless I was purchasing large amounts of stuff. Sunday I was only planning on grabbing a few things for lunch. I stopped by the bike shop to check my email and get my bag when it dawned on me that I had a rack and should use it. so I bought a Jandd Grocery Bag Pannier. I know this isn’t anything revolutionary. Bryce has been going on his after work beer run for years with these but I have never owned one. I strapped it to the rack and headed to the store.

I have always preferred carrying things on my bike instead of on my back. With my new pannier I could keep the weight of my groceries off my back but more importantly I didn’t need a bag for anything.

So I bought a pannier and no longer need any kind of grocery bag to carry my food in. I just take my basket in with me load it up and take it to the checker who unloads it scans it and reloads it. Brilliant! The best part of all of this is that I no longer have the need to consume a bag, which means it doesn’t need to be produced saving the energy of production and transport. Plus there is no waste. Jandd guarantees there stuff and I am yet to see any problems with these so I don’t think I will be tossing it out any time soon. And all of that brings us back to 5 cents.

As I was checking out last night, I noticed that after my Fresh Values discount there was another 5 cent deduction from the total that blatantly stated No Bag discount. I was surprised and asked the cashier about it. She said that it is Smith’s policy to discount 5 cents for every bag you bring in yourself.

What does it all mean, you can save the planet, reduce consumption and production and a major corporation will reward you for it. What more motivation do you need?

Peace.

Help Revitalize Park Funding and Trail Opportunities

Mountain bikers have an opportunity to voice their support for a dramatic increase in National Park Service (NPS) funding. A proposed bill would appropriate the largest ever funding increase for the NPS–at least $100 million annually–and dramatically improve visitor experiences, including those on singletrack.

This bill, H.R. 3094, will provide funding for a series of signature projects around the country, including those for new trails. A plan for new singletrack in Big Bend National Park is one of 200 proposed projects selected from more than 6,000 applications. Supporting H.R. 3094 will improve chances for similar projects.

Take Action

Voice your support. It takes just a few seconds with IMBA’s simple online form.

Tell your friends. Ask all of your riding partners to take action.

Additional Information

H.R. 3094 is a crucial component of the Centennial Initiative, a 10-year plan to enhance the NPS for its 100th birthday in 2016. IMBA and the Outdoor Alliance strongly support this bill and associated programs that will restore the luster of our National Parks System and set the direction for the next century of park management.

Mountain bicycling is an ideal tool for reacquainting a new generation of Americans to their national parks. This human-powered, quiet, low-impact activity helps get more people out of their cars and exploring parks on narrow dirt trails. By expanding this use in appropriate areas, the NPS will help visitors form lasting bonds with our most valuable natural landscapes. As a family-friendly activity, mountain bicycling also provides a fun, exciting, appropriate way for visitors to engage in healthy exercise in National Parks.

IMBA and the NPS signed a formal partnership agreement in 2005. IMBA will continue to provide information on the Centennial Initiative and our partnership with the NPS on IMBA.com.

Yesterday @ 5 pm it was 40 degrees. The long, icy fingers of winter are finally tightening their grip on the polar north. As the winter creeps into my life two things have become more concrete. First, it is evident that every time I go for a ride may be my last up here til spring. Once the snow falls it is all over for MCA rides in Logan, unless I get a Pugsley. The second thing is my return to the tradition of drinking mate.

I’m not one to eat or drink things when they are hot. I definitely don’t like hot drinks during warmer months, but once the mercury begins to fall I bust out the mate. There is something special about sipping down green bitter water. I think it is more the social aspect of sipping mate that appeals to me. Drinking mate properly can only be done among friends. Those friends should be sitting in a circle and the mate should be passed around while conversation bubbles from the over stimulated participants.

There are a few things I believe can really change the world. The first is obvious, the bicycle. The second I haven’t talked much about but should be as obvious, conversation. We, as humans but especially as Americans, need more time to sit down, pass a mate, peace pipe or bong around and talk. Yes, I know it is insane and mind blowing to try and comprehend, but people need to converse. It is much easier to understand others when you actually talk to them.

Anyone interested in having a mate with me, just stop by the shop. I’m always here and always open to bringing more people into my dark, anarchist lifestyle.

Peace.

I feel for any wrench who hasn’t had the opportunity to feel the difference between old Campy tools and the new things that are referred to as tools. That difference is quality. We do keep these hid but they are used on a regular basis in the shop. They still, after all the years, work better than anything you can buy today.

cross racenewest2007 copy-1.pdf

Ouch, I woke up sore as a whore on a Sunday morning, not that I was working as one just that I was really sore.

Last night was my first race ever. As you should all know, I don’t like to ride to see who goes the fastest but last night was actually quite fun. It was the single most painful 20 minutes of my life.

The course consisted of two goal points and no restrictions on how to get there. Old Main and Lee’s Marketplace on 14th North. To get to Old Main from the shop is a significant increase in elevation and it’s steep as hell. I ride up this hill several times a week to get to school but I’m usually not pushing myself to see how fast I can do it, last night I was. And it hurt. Right off the bat I fell behind the leaders. Right off the bat means within the first block. By the time I had made it to the top of Old Main I couldn’t see there lights. Abby and Andy Yerka were at the top. You would think they would be there to cheer me on but all I got was, “You’re way behind.” I found out later they were cheering the leaders on with the simple challenge of beating me.

After Old Main I headed through campus and down 7th East I believe, not sure exactly the number of this road. It has a good downhill coming off of campus and by this time I was done pedaling. I was also only one of two riders who did the race fixed. I propped me feet up on the down tube and let’r rip. I’m sure the cars passing me were a little confused, judging by their looks. About half way down the hill I-dog caught up to me, he’s riding free and geared. I was able to keep him fairly close. We sprinted down 14th and through the parking lot at Lee’s. Now that I was with someone the race seemed a bit more interesting. We both headed down 14th to 4th where we jetted back towards the shop which is on 1st East.

I found that sprinting to corners and then propping my feet up allowed me to really cruise around the corners. I-dog and I split paths as we winded back towards the shop. We met back up at 4th and 1st for a 3 block sprint finish. Lucky for me he headed out a little too early and I was able to catch and make a 30 ft. attack right in front of the shop. But in true I-dog fashion, he beat me by a couple of inches.

Of course, by the time we made it to the finish, the three leaders were there and resting. We tried to catch our breath and watched the other riders trickle in. And then we were waiting for three. Mr. Keller, Bob Guthrie and Eugena were no where to be seen. After what seemed like a very long time Keller and Bob made it in, with a Snickers bar from Lee’s and the name of someone they had met at the top of Old Main as proof they actually did the entire course. Keller was the only other person to ride the race fixed.

We arrived in the following order: Ben, Robert, Speedy, I-dog, myself, the Golden Knuckle, KC, Keller and Bob. Eugena flatted and didn’t finish, her house sits just about perfectly in the middle of our little ride and she ended up there.

Ben signed the Mooseknuckler Cup and will defend his title as the biggest Knuckler next month when we have the 2nd Mooseknuckler Cup.

Peace.