Commuter countdown

I've commuted to work by bike before, but it was always just a one-off deal. Generally, it would be on a casual Friday ride on a really nice day. However, starting December 3 I will be a daily commuter. Several factors played a role in my decision. The impending 40/64 shutdown, environmental concerns, short commute on decent roads, as well as the ability for some additional exercise all seem like good reasons to me.

My commute will be somewhere in the 5 mile range and generally there is only 1 road without any shoulder, Weidman road, which is the first (and last) 1.5 miles of my commute. On my outbound commute, Weidman also provides a short, but quite steep hill roughly 1 mile from the house. While it's no big deal, I also plan to commute on a single speed road bike. Not necessarily a fixie, just a single speed. Tried the fixie experience, not really for me. I like it in small doses, don't need it twice a day.

People have asked me why I'm beginning to commute when the weather is at it's worst. My response, "it's never a bad time to ride your bike." Of course, non-cyclists don't understand that response. You know, sometimes I don't either. The trek begins Monday. Stay tuned for details.

I've come to realize

I need to harden up. No more whining, no more complaining, no more crying. Period, end of story.

Football. Safe to watch, dangerous to play.

This past Saturday I was planning to go to the gym with my wife, but instead I wound up at our church for the men's club annual flag football game. My wife reminded me of the game, said it was okay with her, and that I should go. She then laughed and said I would most likely injure myself, but I should go and get to know a few more guys. (Why is she always right??)

Collin and I headed up to the church's athletic fields around 9am. He plays football everyday at recess, while I haven't played since a year or two after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as our President. What's the big deal? I'm in good shape. I can ride a bike for miles. I stretch and workout. What's the big deal? I'm now 43. Most of the people playing are in their 20's and 30's. They take this somewhat seriously and running is involved.

(An inside note. I've been dealing with a nagging pain around my left achilles heel area in the last few weeks. The pain has always been worse in the morning and after periods of inactivity. As I googled for information it seems to be achilles tendinitis and the cause is due to lack of flexibility in 'middle-aged' people. I resent the ideas that I'm 'middle-aged' as well as inflexible. Okay, I've been told I'm inflexible at work, but inflexible physically? I'm not ready to deal with that.)

Suffice it to say, my wife was right. I aggravated my heel "injury" and could barely walk Saturday evening and I was forced to miss a workout on Sunday which called for 2 hours of easy riding, too. "What a drag it is getting old." This stinks. I'm not ready to ruin my training for next season just yet, though I will be modifying it slightly. I guess I'll just watch football from now on.

Which reminds me to congratulate Mizzou on their great season thus far. What a fantastic game Saturday! I was confident they could beat Kansas and I am confident they can beat Oklahoma. Let's face it, they helped Oklahoma beat us in their game earlier this season. We should put them away in a similar fashion to the Kansas game. West Virginia concerns me, however.

Hopefully, I've learned my lesson. I know my place in life and it's called the sidelines. It's far safer to watch than to participate. I won't make that mistake again. That is, unless there is a bicycle involved.

Black Friday

When Black Friday comes

I'll collect everything I'm owed

And before my friends find out

I'll be on the road

When Black Friday falls

you know it's got to be

Don't let it fall on me

(Black Friday - Steely Dan)

After a less than successful morning several years ago, I said I'd never again participate in Black Friday shopping. Against my wishes, I decided to give it try again this year. I was pursuing an Xbox 360 / Guitar Hero II package, as well as an MP3 player, for my 10 year old son. Best Buy had the deal ($150 total savings) and they were opening at 5:00am. I awoke at 4:00am, dressed, and headed out for coffee and the bedlum of Black Friday.

Since my kids may read this post, let me say I was... Ha, ha, ha. You'll have to wait until Christmas to see if Dad was successful or whether or not Black Friday is on the permanent "Black List."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Funny picture! I guess this turkey can be thankful for humor or choices.

I am so thankful for the many blessings in my life. God, Jesus Christ, Jennifer (my wife), Kelsey & Collin (my kids), my health, our new church home (the staff, the members, and it's community), my friends (I'm richly blessed here, so I'm not going to name names less I forget someone), and my ability to work for a company whom I respect and honor.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!

God's Grace

(The Mission Lifehouse's Everything Drama @ Winterfest 2006)
(Performed by The Mission at the Smokey Mountain Winterfest Saturday 2006)


The first time I watched this video I cried. It's a vivid reminder to me of what God has freely given me, but yet I often times seek more. I seek things that lead me to a path of destruction or emptyness. When I follow those paths, God watches like a parent longing for the return of their child. He wants me back, but leaves me to make my choices.

Without Him, I am nothing. With God, I have everything I need.

I gotta ride that?

There was a recent time in my biking life when I enjoyed nothing more than jumping on any one of my 4 road bikes and heading out for a nice long jaunt. I could roll directly out of my driveway and immediately be heading anywhere I desired. The road beckoned and I responded. However, since May I think I've been on a road bike a total of 8 or 9 times. More importantly, 7 or 8 of those times I didn't enjoy it in the least bit. If you're reading this and thinking, "Wait, I was riding with Boz. Does that mean he doesn't enjoy my company?" forget about it. My riding companions were most likely the only reason I got on the road bike in the first place!

I'm not sure if it was the fact that I was completely focused on off-road riding or whether or not I was burned out on the roads. It certainly can't be the completely biker-friendly St. Louis driving community (okay, that was a sweeping generalization) that drove me off-road. I simply didn't have the desire to swing a leg over a road bike.

My self-imposed exile from road machines actually spawned the 'fire sale' I had earlier this fall. I sold 2 road bikes and 1 fixed gear bike and I stripped down another bike to part out. As I write this, I have 1 full road bike ready to ride, the Gunnar Sport which was built for my long-distance rides, and 1 road bike, a Lemond Zurich, I plan to race intermittently next year.

Which brings me to the point of my entry, I now have to swing a leg over one of them and begin my base training for 2008. As I brought the machines down from their imprisoned ceiling hooks and placed them into the workstand, I marveled at their slender bodies, their tight lines, and their delicate jewelry. Yes, I'm still writing about my bikes, but it's amazing how they do differ from their burly, stout, testosterone laden off-road bretheren.

I'll let you know if a "road" spark re-ignites the "road" fire. However, the only burning I'm likely to feel in the next few weeks will be in my unstretched muscles. However, I keep telling myself, "That's a good thing, right?"

The Almost Perfecta Trifecta

Saturday was Aggro's birthday and all he wanted was to ride the Trifecta with some good people. He got his birthday wish and everyone else got "to help him open his gift" so to speak. The day was clear and cool in the morning with temperatures reaching the high 50's to low 60's by the rides end. I'm not sure I got everyone's full name or even that I'll list their name correctly, but here's my attempt at the rider list:

Aggro Jo
Rich Pierce
Scott Melies
Rob Oellerman
Mary _________
Christine Ford
Bill "Slick Willy" Howard
Greg Suter
Jiri Doksansky
Barry "The Barryman" ___________
Tonya Wolf
Sam _________ (Sorry Sam. I failed to remember your last name but appreciated the company on the ride back to the cars.)
2 others I can't recall right now, so I apologize for my failing memory. If you were on the ride, let me know and I'll perform an edit.

We rolled out around 9:10am and did 1 1/4 laps of Lost Valley before heading over to the Katy enroute to Matson. Most of the ride was uneventful (good) until I launched off a jump and flatted my front tire shortly after the landing. (I swear I got like 3 feet of air that time, too!) Aggro hung back with me and I repaired the flat quite quickly and we were off with some clear track ahead in an attempt to catch the group. We caught up and made tracks for Matson. As we were leaving, Scott and Mary decided to head back due to time constraints and that left us with 13 riders. Two more rider dropped off halfway to Matson and now the group was whittled down to 11.

We regrouped at the Matson stop on the Katy trail for some fuel and to watch Aggro ball it up in the gravel. That 3" curb was killer, but that turned out to be the only known "wreck" of the day. I guess that's good knowing no sacrificial blood was offered to the trails. As we prepared our hearts, lungs, and legs for the Matson Hill climb, we rolled up at a rather pedestrian pace. Funny, the last time I climbed Matson with a large group of riders was in the State MTB race in June. My results were great that day, but not so good this day. The riders were strung up and down the face of the hill like climbers ascending towards the summit of Mt. Everest. As we neared the top, most of us looked like we were in the oxygen deprived summit zone, too. Barry had so much fun climbing the hill, he cruised 1/3 of the way back down and re-climbed the road with some of the tail end riders! Impressive or stupid? I'll give him the impressive nod, as I was quite gassed.

As we entered the trailhead, I noticed Rich was on my wheel for our clockwise assault of the trail. I was airing it out a little and really trying to push into the corners and enjoy finally pointing the bike downhill again. Right after rounding our third corner, a very large doe bolted less than 5 feet in front of me and sounded like a horse thundering across the path. Startled, I called back "Deer!" to Rich and he responded with several loud bursts of "DEEER! DEEEER!" I almost rolled off the trail laughing at the sound of Rich alerting the entire forest of this deer. I was beginning to think it was open season on Rich Pierce and the deer of the midwest have his photo posted. However, this time I'm on a collision course with Bambi's mom and Rich is in the rumble seat. We made it past the deer (with Rich 100% intact) and then cruised for the climbs. The only loss in Matson was a broken chain on Jiri's bike, but after a short maintenance stop, he was back in the group and we headed for the downhill and onto Klondike.

As we pacelined towards Klondike, there were discussions of how to tackle the park. The decision was made to make a run up the switchbacks on Hogsback and then roll towards the back of the park. We rolled a chain of riders up through Hogsback and attempted to navigate the switchbacks with some success. I noticed my left pedal popped loose somewhere along the way and then I couldn't get my foot clipped back in during the remainder of the climb. When we arrived at the top of the hill to regroup, I noticed my eggbeater pedal spring had somehow spun out of position and wouldn't allow me to clip in. Furthermore, the bottom of my shoe didn't provide any comfortable or safe place for me to rest my foot, so I felt this was the end of the day for me. I decided to peel off at before entering the back of the park and Sam and I made a beeline for the Katy and the return home. The remainder of the group headed for the back of the park and from what I hear, Donkey Kong must have been full because no tacos were eaten.

Sam and I cruised and chatted, while I was battling leg cramps. I guess taking 3-4 weeks off the bike and then not drinking a lot can take it's toll. We made it back to the cars, albeit slowly, and loaded up for the drive home. All in we rode roughly 40 miles in 4 hours. We had an awesome weather day and a great group of riders. All in all, an almost perfecta trifecta.

Bothersome things

Over the past week, I've either read, watched, or been subjected to the above "bothersome things."

I've been on the road since Sunday morning. Over the years, I've grown very tired of business travel. When I'm traveling, I tend to get cranky and become more and more of a cynic. I think a great deal of my mood is influenced by being away from my family and away from my familiar routines. Your food is different and your bed is different. Essentially everything you might need while you're on the road must fit into a suitcase, backpack, or a 1-quart baggy. And don't even think of taking liquids in excess of 3 ounces anywhere requiring a plane ride!

First off, the TSA and our government never cease to amaze me when it comes to defending our great country. Don't get me wrong, I'm a proud American and believe we must remain steadfast in our protection of our country and our way of life. I'm only suggesting we attempt to be smart while doing so. For example, why does a grandmother in a wheelchair need to be searched? Folks, if you're saying to yourself, "perhaps it's a terrorist in disguise?" forget it. The best plastic surgeons or make-up artists couldn't pull off that reproduction. Do we have a large population of senior citizens angry enough to attack our nation? Also, why is it so dog gone hard for folks to understand metal sets off a METAL DETECTOR! I stood and watched the same person go through the same metal detector not once, not twice, but four times. Each time was like watching a prospector panning for gold and repeatedly striking it rich. There's gold in them thar body parts!!

Secondly, Barry Bonds. In one word, SAD. Yes, I thought he was juicing all along, but the indictment casts an uglier shadow on the whole affair. Not a shocker you say? Well, consider this. When it was speculated the record books would include Barry Bonds with an asterisk, perhaps he didn't care. He'd still be in the record books and folks would primarily remember him for his home runs. Not a chance now. An indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice linked to his use of performance enhancing drugs. The indictment could effectively cast enough of a shadow on his name to all but eliminate him from the record books, as well as the Baseball Hall of Fame. How sad is that? I guess the temptation of mythological performance is too great. Some players will stop at nothing to gain that extra edge. Which brings me to my final "bothersome thing."

While reading this month's Cycle Sport magazine I was reminded of the shenanigans and tom-foolery which unfolded in this year's Tour de France. I'll never forget the day our family arrived in Paris and settled in to watch (on French TV with french commentators) Michael Rasmussen win the difficult stage 16. Stage 16 was epic in the battle that unfolded between Rasmussen and Alberto Contador on the slopes of the Col d'Aubisque. Eventhough we didn't understand the TV commentary, our family was awestruck as we watched the two riders take turns riding the other off of their wheel. The following day, our feelings took a sharp nose dive as we learned of the Dane's alleged drug involvement and withdrawal from the Tour. "Hero to zero" in less than 24 hours. Michael Rasmussen bet the ranch and lost the bet. Unbelievable.

Oh well, I'm heading home. Home. Family, food, familiar things, not "bothersome things."

3 weeks later.....I'm Tommy Boy!

(That's me on the right)

Come this Saturday's Aggro Trifecta, I will have been off the bike for 3 weeks. My last serious pedal stroke was at the Spanish Lake cross race. Based on my results in that race (20th) you could argue I didn't have a serious pedal stroke that day either. I was planning to race the entire cross series this season. Truth was, following the mtb races this year, I needed some rest. I took it...and I got fat.

Over the past 3 weeks, I've been out of town with my family, out of town for business, and crammed a few birthday celebrations in. During all of those activities, I paid absolutely no attention to what I was eating, when I was eating, or how much I was eating. If you knew the old Boz, you understand that's a recipe for disaster.

Suffice it to say, I'm ready to start my new training program and work off the pounds. As I type this out, Tommy Boy is playing on the TV and I'm wondering just how close I look??? Now the scene with the deer in the back of the car is playing and I'm wondering if that looks similar to the Faust Park C race scene with Rich Pierce, but I'm digressing. (Hope you're okay Rich!)

I'm fat, out of shape, and ready to roll for Saturday. Wait, I'm heading to NYC in the morning and that means two more days of business meetings, eating out, and not exercising. What's another few pounds?? Well, let's look at it this way. If it's cold Saturday morning, everyone will be able to sing:

"Fat guy in a little coat. Fat guy in a little coat."

Cherry Pie

Yesterday was my 43rd birthday, and perhaps it was one of the best. Why? Cherry Pie instead of cake! I love cherry pie and based on a casual comment I made a couple of weeks ago, my wife baked me a cherry pie! Jennifer is a great cook, but hasn't spent much time baking pies. In fact, I can't recall the last time she ever made a pie. I'm not sure if she has been taking pie-cooking classes on the side or perhaps moonlighting as a pastry cook, but she knocked the ball out of the park with an awesome cherry pie!

Following dinner, I ate a monster slice (still a little warm) with vanilla ice cream. I could have devoured that pie. No dessert is better in my opinion. Creme brulee, meh? Chocolate, please, how boring. Besides, aren't cherries good for you??? Antioxidants, vitamin C, or something?

As I was making my oatmeal for breakfast this morning, I saw the pie sitting there and thought perhaps pie for breakfast was okay. I mean, cmon, my birthday was yesterday and it's my pie, so why can't I have some for breakfast? I decided to stick to the oatmeal. Hey, wait a minute....where's that pie??? Gotta go!

Comes a Time

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

Lately, I've spent a considerable amount of time looking at my daily life, my relationship with my family and friends, and my relationship with God. Suffice it to say I didn't feel balance in any of them. I'm hoping to change that beginning now. I've always believed in God, but never put Him in the primary focus of my life. Same thing with my family and friends. Too many times, I do things for me and not for them. Well, as Neil Young sings, "Comes a time, when you're drifting. Comes a time when you settle down."

I've been trying to settle down, pray regularly, and rearrange the focus of my life for the past couple of months. I feel more at ease and more centered around what's important for life, not just what's important for me. Some of the re-focus affects my cycling life how it plays into my choices for cycling and racing in the future. Ralph Pfremmer played a key role in my decision to begin racing. Throughout the year, he has been a great friend and coach by offering me guidance in the form or training or racing tips. In return for his help, I proudly wore the Pfoodman/Wapiti jersey in my final four races this year. I definitely owe Ralph a lot of credit for my results this year. Thanks Ralph, you're a good man and great for encouraging others to push themselves for the best results!

Heading into 2008, I'm focusing my riding around God by joining International Christian Cycling Club (ICCC or IC3). I feel God has blessed my life and I need to offer my thanks and honor His blessings. I believe this move will help avoid the "I'm riding for me" mentality. You may be thinking, Boz or Bas, you can still be a Christian and ride for other teams. True, but as I put at the beginning of this post, "But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." For me, serving the LORD needs to come in this manner.

I look forward to serving the members of ICCC, as well as all people. God has richly blessed us all and wants nothing in return except a lasting relationship with us, a relationship that will last for an eternity!

Thhhhhat's all folks!

My off-season officially started this morning. Several factors came into my decision, but none of them really matter in the master plan. Fact is, I'm not training enough, don't want to train enough, and if I wanted to train enough I don't have the time to train enough. Heard enough?

My sites are set on Aggro Jo's Tacolovers Trifecta on November 17th. Get your bike and be there.

Niner One 9

I picked up a used One 9 frame from Mitch Johnson to replace my Surly Karate Monkey. The KM was a good bike, but it was heavy. As a single speed, the bike weighed in at 27.5 lbs for the large frame. That's a little heavy for a s/s. The One 9 build up with the same equipment now weighs in at 25 pounds on the button. I took the bike out to Castlewood last Thursday morning (before leaving for Branson) for a shakedown ride. WOW! What a difference! You can really get this bike moving and up to speed much quicker. I rode all of the Stinging Nettle trails (including the singletrack sections of the Al Foster section) for the better part of an hour on top of the gear and spinning madly. I had the entire back side of the park to myself and was letting the bike rip. I then rode up to the front and rode up Grotpeter to the Rollercoast for more spinning and tempo pace.

The bike climbs very well and seems to track very quickly. I descended the Love trail and the bike seemed to go in the direction it was pointed without too much coaxing through the more technical sections. The KM was definitely a little more compliant on the rougher sections of the trail, but for the 2.5 pounds I'm saving, I'll make that trade off every day. All in a very enjoyable bike. I can't wait to get the Air 9 frame and build that up. However, I don't think the difference between that bike and my Gunnar will be that great, as the Gunnar uses True Temper OX platinum steel versus the 4130 steel on the Surly. Who knows. At this point, I'm planning on building up the Air 9 as a dedicated race bike and running the Gunnar as my 'everyday' bike. More bike frames you say? Well, now you know why I sold all of those road bikes!

Time ain't on my side

It's just the beginning of November and I already feel like the year will be over in the blink of an eye. As I look over my calendar for the next few weeks, I do see a lot of travel and very little riding between now and Thanksgiving. Well, it's the off-season, so what's the big deal? Well, if you're attempting to race 'cross like I have been, surviving a race on the training you've put in from the mountain biking season can be a little tough. To me, it feels a little bit like holding a greased rope. This time of year, I'm lucky to get 2-3 days a week on the bike. I'm seriously considering shelving the 'cross season for sake of a little sanity. I'm also missing just riding the bike without an agenda or objective other than to goof off with your buddies. I'll ponder my options, but just in case, I'll ask Aggro to keep a spot open for me on the 11/17 Trifecta ride.