threads

Winter time usually brings a much welcomed change of pace to the outdoor schedule of activities. The two wheeled experience takes a back seat for a few to enjoy some hiking, some trail running, and some xc/backcountry skiing. Over the past couple of days, the northeast has gotten enough snow to turn two lane townie roads into single lane passageways and the single tracks into, well, perfect for skiing. Just before the storm hit, I got some hiking in at one of my favorite places to ponder life, Glen Onoko Falls. With some steady precip, the falls have been flowing well for the past few weeks. I usually hit up The Glen a few times a week for a variable tempo hike/spiritual moment.
Even though we got a badass couple of days of snow, a topic that has been in the minds of concerned individuals is climate change. Last week, in my Biology and Environmental Science classes, we covered the topic so it is fresh on my mind and with the recent snowfall, I couldn’t help but think about how great it is to get snow. It is a welcome change to shift your focus from one activity to the next and expand your view of the wilds around us. One thing that is certain, it would suck to have made a lasting impact on the Earth by the pasts’ nonearth-friendly industrial practices. With all the advancements in technology, there is no reason to continue this type of behavior.

Being more conscious of the individual impact each person has on the planet, and supporting products made by sustainable business ventures will help bring a change to the economy and reduce the pressure we put on our mother. It would be a bummer not to be able to enjoy the flow of nature that we have become accustomed to.

must produce post

i feel like i have been neglecting the blog. well the simple reason is that, yeah, i have been neglecting the blog. no not really. it has been a real busy fall/early winter filled with the daily grind, grad school, and spending some quality time in the outdoors, as usual. i am also getting stoked for some winter time fun on the backcountry skis. i am pretty fresh with the whole experience and can't wait to get back on the snow! until next time...

fall has arrived!

this is my favorite time of the year. a walk around the woods will explain why. the aroma of the reclamation of nutrients into the soil, the visual stimulation provided by the foliage of the trees and of course the fact that the temperature is cooling off. oh yeah and the end of the worst possible thing that ever happened to this land...

breaking the girl

this weekend was my first long day event on the new bike. epic day, great weather, and skinny chickens! the moonshine burned a little, but it what do you expect?

roll out

the one, two punch!

freek bike's rule!

what a great weekend for a test ride! thanks for the saturday ride, it was epic! as for the people who couldn't make it, this song pretty much sums it up.

some time to spare

"eat the rich" says the hill to hill bridge that crosses over the lehigh river in bethlehem, pa, as a critical fat tire mass decends on the salsbury trails for some singletracking and musikfesting on a wednesday eve. i have been immersed in graduate school once again with little end in site. at least not until christmas break. with work looming in the near distance, i will be and am back to the official grind of the times plodding through the field of education. time is precious, and needs to be used accordingly for the things that are important and just moving a few days ago, my place looks like i moved today. it's hard to live out of boxes and i could be doing so for a little while until my kung foo feng shui comes into a free day. the month of july and into august has been packed with some racing, some riding and a trip to the music city of Nashville for a work conference. the best part was that i got to check out a concert at the birth place of bluegrass music, the ryman auditorium.

still hitting some races this month until i can start to kick back and enjoy the fall breezes and some good ol trail riding. also, i am anticipating the arrival of a new steed that should be here in a few days. getting back to the real feel is going to be appreciated when the leaves cover up the rocks in the eastern peeyay forests. enjoy the rest of the summer, some cool breezes are on the way!

back in biz!

the recent buzz in the world of two wheels, is the return of Eastern Woods Research. EWR broke through the mountain bike scene in the early to mid-ninties with a frame design with futuristic feel. long front ends, short rear triangles and aggressive angles gave the OWB, Original Woods Bike, a truly unique ride. especially on the technical rocky trails of eastern peeyay. luckily, i got to ride an OWB back when i was in high school and started laying my roots into the mountain biking scene. in all honesty, i never really liked mountain biking back then. i was more into the bmx racing/dirt jumping thing. way less spandex! none the less, i could not deny that the OWB felt like a bmx bike for the woods and i have always tried to mimmick that feel with every mountain bike i have owned since then.

moving years into the future, EWR is back and making current models of the OWB in the 26" platform, and on saturday i got to try out the much anticipated introduction of the OWB 29er. the OWB 29er has the signature EWR feel to what i remember from years ago, except with bigger wheels. very snappy and easy to ride through the tight and twisty, climbs like it should and the real feel of steel. a much nicer ride than the aluminum i am currently cruising on. the OWB is back and has been reborn with the option of the 29er wheels. swing on over to the EWR website and check out when and where jay and ken will be to demo one of these true american classics!

just a reminder!

rothrockin'!

what can one say about the trails in central peeyay except for, amazing! last weekends stoopid fiddy proved to be yet another reason why we all love to be enjoying the woods on two wheels. rain to clear out the stuffy dryness on saturday led the way for perfect trail conditions for sundays not-so-early start. the mountain laurels are in full bloom right now and probably will be for the next week or so, the cicadas were doing there mating dance, and the competition was stiff with some of my fellow single speed competitors mixing it up in the geared bike bizz. for the numbers on the day click here.

the trails were so good that i cruised back out on wednesday for another helping, but the weather was not so nice. cold rain and slippery trails were on the menu, but whatever man, that's mountain biking. road tripping and catching up with some friends is on the agenda for the next few weeks so don't call me, i won't answer. just kidding. love, peace and hair grease!

99 in the shade

"Well we got no choice, all the girls and boys.
Makin' all that noise, 'cause they found new toys.
Well we can't salute ya, can't find a flag if that don't suit ya, that's a drag.
School's out for summer, school's out forever, school's been blown to pieces!"

In the immortal words of Alice Cooper, school is out! It is pretty wild to toss your job asside for a while knowing you can go back in a few months. The heatwave of the northeast has been delivering some swampass conditions over the past week. It is unbelievable how hot it is and summer is still on the horizon! Speaking of northeastern PA, someone would fit in nicely with the locals around here. Everybody loves a little all night party!
A few weeks back, I ventured out to the Mohican 100. What a cool race! The trails, roads, and farmlands were very scenic and it is definitely an event to return to. As usual, there was also some fine folks to hangout with before and after the race to share in the experience. More can be read about the race here.
This past weekend the heat crept in and turned beautiful spring days into sweltering dehydration days. Saturday I lended a hand to a local rails to trails event in the booming metropolis of Hazleton, PA. The event was to promote the continuing project of the Greater Hazleton Rails to Trails. So far the have about 4-5 miles of the trail finished, and will continue to improve more of the trail over the years. I never knew how much it cost to create or refurbish old trail. It is quite a substantial amount of money for just a mile. The positive cycling vibe was definitely in the air and people showed up to enjoy the outdoors despite the intense heat.
As if Saturday wasn't hot enough, Sunday could have been even hotter! Arising early to coordinate a food and drink cache for todays adventures in long hot days in the saddle, I was quickly reminded of why one shouldn't mix Hoegaarden, Jim Beam and Jager! It was all for a good cause and hanging with and old friend. As planned, some of the Beaners, the Breaker of Kegs, and some local trail afficianatos rolled in for a day in the woods. It was hot, the rattlesnakes were out and about, and a much deserved dip in the Tank Hollow creek summed up a good thirty something mile day. Hopefully the heat will break a little for this weekends festivities. Until next time...

long live long rides

with friday came the rain. with saturday came a crisp cold morning. thick with dew and the sun trying to show its face on what was to be one hell of a trail ride. the scene was relaxed with everyone trying to anticipate what was to come. i had an idea, but really had no idea of what was instore as the ride unfolded. all i knew was that i didn't want to walk out of the woods like a few weeks back, so i figured on sticking with what i know best. pushin' one for fun! the rocktober challenge, in r.b. winter state park, was just what it intended to be, a total challenge! the field was small, which was a shame for such a well organized, backcountry race. my ride plan was to find the sweet spot and stay there all day. all was well until, shizzam!, a huge rock flew up and railed my sprocket pocket and bent it so bad that pedaling was no longer an option. checking out the scenario, it just took a little elbow grease and about 10 minutes until she was spinning smooth again. back on the trail, and i might add rocky as hell, but i like rocks. it's half of rock n' roll!

exiting out of the woods to a dirt road, i had a chance to pull back some of the folks that squeeked by during my wrangling with rocks and sprocket pocket. all of a sudden i picked up a frequency of the worst song ever to have rolling through my head at this point in the race, bon jovi "living on a prayer." all i kept thinking was the line "were halfway there, livin' on a prayer." only the race was no way halfway over! the only way to get a bad song out of your head is to pass it on. thankfully i saw a rider in the distance and much to their dismay, will have bon jovi in their head once i pass by. gotcha!

the rest of the race went by with no issues except some immense efforts on some badass trail. the second loop was surely a hard 35 miles. it had me thinking about some times i used to spend with a few of my friends years ago before i had a career. middle of the week, 10+ hour, onespeeder rides. no cares except for seizing the day! after the second loop, i needed much food and liquids to head out on the third and final loop. the last portion of the ride had some singletrack that was some of the best i have hit in a while. i believe the one trail was white deer trail. if my smile was any wider on that trail i might have eaten some branches! after all was said and done, the race turned out to be about 70 miles. it was truly epic and props go out to kuhn for hosting a great event. it was definitely appreciated! also, props go out to the ranger and old timer that were waiting at the finish for elk and i to clean out our campsite! next time we'll crash in your blazin' bago!

if your wondering what to do next, click here and donate to a great cause! then click here if you love pickles!

a pause for the cause

a few good friends of mine have organized an Ovarian Cancer Fundraiser. The fundraiser is in conjunction with the Escape from Granouge MASS Series Race on May 24th and is in support of the HERA Women's Cancer Foundation. the fundraiser itself is a raffle of some very nice bike goodies and you do not have to be present at the race to win! so click on over to bikereg to buy some raffle tickets, buy some stickers and donate to a great cause.

it's like the polka, of your nightmare!

made it through another. turn it up, loosen up and have a good weekend!

writers block

procrastination is like a chinese finger trap. damn i'm stuck! it's not like i have been putting off my final project for my grad class, but i haven't really started it either. i have a few things jotted down and it is due next wednesday, so it's not that bad. when in times of consternation there is nothing better than a little fresh air. clearing the mind from the burden of the work day, the past few weeks, or the past few months.

lately i have been thinking a lot about the upcoming months. i have some free time, but definitely have some obligations throughout the summer other than riding/racing bikes. i think one thing that i have been missing out on in some off the bike time. it is good to keep the love fresh.

i got some burnout when i was in high school racing bikes and took some time off. set the love free as they say, and if it is true, it will return. it has never really left, just some doors for new things inbetween.

i had a conversation over the weekend and someone mentioned that it is good to read blogs that are not always about bikes. i found that pretty fascinating because here i thought that most people checking out this here space want to read about bikes. i have noticed myself reading more entries that are not bike related.

were i am at, there is really no "bike scene" in the town. there is maybe a few riders, probably no more than five, that get out and ride often. most of the time i am rolling solo for hours on end. there is nothing like having it all to yourself!

one thing i am always grateful for is someone to share the love of the trail with. that's where the whole experience is realized and really can not be portrayed on one of these blogs. pictures can help and every detail of the ride can be elaborated with flowery language, but it really is about the experience.

today was a beautiful day to breathe in the spring smells, but one thing is for sure, i'm still in that finger trap! peeyay sux!

feel like a stranger

at least after racing all weekend, my hands are still a little numb! do people actually read these bliggity blogs?

ride finds

north pisgah rockin'



the king!



an eagle's lair!



an eagle!





the good lord!




a good hangout!



pure bliss!

ramp up the jawn

our motto was simple, destroy the competition!















win or lose we still booze!
















as i sit here enjoying my final minutes as a twenty something, i sit back and reflect on things that have occured in the last ten years of my life. so many roads, so many good people and so much fun! i feel that the minute you start to feel old is when you begin to die. live, life, love. namaste

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

D-town Single Speed Shennanigans!

Sunday March 30th @ Victory Brewing Company

Single Speed Rally

Pre-Game

9:30 meet at Victory Brew Co.. 420 acorn ln Downingtown PA

10am leg strecher ride up to Marsh Creek - 20 miles

Rally Start

12:00 Bonus points skills Challenge.

12:30 Short Track

1:30 2 person relay.

2:30 Individual Time Trial

Post Game

3:30 return to Victory for the post game celebration and overall
awards.

*Gears welcome but subject to ridicule and tamporing

where's the love?

according to pennsyltucky joe "make sures ya'll rev yer tranny when yins pass that there skinny boy riding his bike on ol' owl crick road." not only does it make me tremble with fear of a diesel engine, but it sounds like there car is about to explode!

once again, bad blogger etiquette has left my camera at home. for there are no self portraits of spinning to and fro. some people did, however, have some digi clickers. check out some cool photos and rants of friday and saturday. also, for your viewing pleasure!

an irish toast!

"may you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows you are dead."

spring is coming!

brunch till dusk

the delaware river was at flood stage on sunday, so what better way to get a glimpse than to cruise for a ways following the torrent!























the other day i was surfing some blogs and came across one that had a quote from a surfer, Laird Hamilton. Check the blog out for yourself. i wanted to comment on the nice quote, but for some reason, i could not. anyway, it made me remember a conversation i had with a person once about the area i live in and how it must be just like living in a place with killer breaks at your door step. except here it's killer cycling.