Quaint Bicycle Journal Ultra

2010-05-15T13:43:00.002-04:00

Commuting back from the boat.

The winter has come and gone, which can only mean one thing: back to New England. It was an interesting/fun/heartbreaking/progressive/explosively sad/explosively happy/special/cool/memorable stay with my very good friends down south. I love them all, as they really came through for me and showed their true colors as main-men and wo-main-men. I feel incredibly blessed to call so many wonderful people "my friends".

So I flew into the gateway of New England with my touring bike and decided to ride the 55 some odd miles home from there. It was 11:00 pm by the time we touched down. A bit late to start the longest bike ride I have embarked on since the tour last November. So I assembled my bike and pedaled out the door into the woods about 4 miles from the airport. Slept hard in the bivy until the church bells woke me up at 9:00 am. It was unseasonable hot out that day, but i managed to make it back, and ride some amazing roads along the way.

Now I am back at my sisters house in the woods of Old Lyme. It is a sanctuary out here. I am extremely happy right now. I have been spending my off time from the boat building trails out of her back yard. So far I have come across some old bottles dating back to the 1870's in what i presume to be an old hobo camp judging by its proximity to the train tracks. Stuff like that is heavenly to a guy like me.

XOXOXOX -Rainbowpath

A tale if you wonder, but mainly a reflection

2010-01-31T22:28:00.008-05:00

Left to right: Patricio, Grizwaldo, Jim Jr., Kemot, Bettina, Katiki, Matteo, Tiki, Niko, Christof, Jessepe, Lazer, Bakini, Myself, Tron.

Not much bike riding for me lately. Have not wanted to really even touch the bike since the west coast tour. Don't really know what happened out there, but something changed inside me, that i cannot really describe. but perhaps i will try? yes, yes i will.

ammie left in september to move back to texas. i moved in with my lovely sister and her very ultra husband chris in old lyme, and finished out the season on the sea sprite in a lonely way. that stuff happens to everyone though at some point, so i am not complaining, just stating the facts. and that brings us to mid november.

the roads lonely roads of new england left behind for the adventures of winter

Ammie and me break it off officially and sadly, then a few days later i fly out to portland to meet patricio and adam for a 5 week long bike tour of the west coast and beyond. highly anticipated was this journey. the camping and the vegan doughnuts....

While on the tour i changed. out of contact with my comfortable life of the last 3.5 years spent with the woman i had planned to spend the rest of my life with, and with the aid of a self-help spiritual book...and our shaman....and 24-7 nature....and physical exertion....and heavy duty reflection...i had what they call and existential crisis. but i would say it was more of a re-birth/awakening. something happening to a lot of people right now. there was so much turmoil in my head, but at the same time the pain was allowing new doors to open in my consciousness. it ultra blew me away in a good way mega cool.

we ended up staying on the road for almost 4 weeks. it was an amazing tour, with 2 very special friends. but, i had to cut it short. i had to get back to austin to see ammie and try to figure out what had happened. it had been killing my insides, and i could no longer think about anything else. even with all the knowledge Eckhart Tolle had bestowed upon me.

my reunion with ammie was bittersweet, and it became slowly evident that things were over for the time being. she had moved on to someone else, and i was not mad at her for it...i love her very much, no matter what. it was her decision and i respect that. listen to me eh? this does feel good to write down though.

so back to my existential crisis: in addition to a feeling of oneness with everyone and everything...the collapse of judgment...and a new found fascination with crystals and lemuria, i have been into new things and everything. if i want to do something or try something for the first time (as long as it does not hurt anyone), i just do it without fear. it has been a wild time for an otherwise closed off and rigid individual (in my own way) such as myself. i surprise myself.

so my bike time is reserved to riding to yoga classes. or riding to play frisbee with thomas or one of my numerous other minimally employed friends out here. been doing a lot of dating. meeting new people... been running a bunch in preparation to do an off road marathon with the can-man this summer.... and sold my fancy race bike to patricio. i have been coaching patricio also. he has lost 25 lbs and is killing it softly with romance and coolness. i am also living on his couch. you can read about that here.

this 15 lb S-works SL2 was mine for a few rides

So while not on the bike turning the pedals in anger, i am still very much involved with the team i co-captain and manage with my good friend and main-man-bro, patricio. the wooly mammoth is stronger than ever this year. we have a deep and sensual roster of cat 2 and 3 racers that are some of the best people i have ever had the good fortune of spending time with. we just finished out 2010 training camp outside roundtop tx, and kicked off the race season this past weekend. our signature race the belterra romantico classico edizione 138 is this coming weekend...so we will be quite busy in preparation for that. here are some links to pics from training camp. it was an awesome weekend. everything is awesome and ultra. my mom says that 2010 will be a good year for me...and i believe her.

"one love" and i am not embarrassed. namaste...still not embarrassed.

1986 Grandis Super Record

2009-11-09T20:54:00.002-05:00

Over the summer i was fortunate enough to acquire a classic piece of cycling history from a very generouse customer of the Sea Sprite. A mint condition 1986 Grandis equipped with the romantic, traditional, but certainly not ultra, Campagnolo Super Record. What a hot bike. The construction is pure quality and detail, right down to the engraved headbadge and fork crown. Grandis was well known for not offering anything in their catalog but high end race machines. Bicycle technology has surely come a long way since 1986, but turning the 24 year old pedals, I could not help but feel how much faster this bicycle was compared to the Big Wheels I was hammering back in 86'. These pictures are from early September, but i figured I would post them, as it was a memorable ride aboard a piece of cycling history. Tradition...

9.9.09: 40 miles

2009-09-15T18:10:00.001-04:00

9.8.09: 18 miles

2009-09-09T21:55:00.002-04:00

today i convinced my brother in law, chris, to join me on a ride. i have no friends around anymore, and ammie is usually off doing yoga come ride time, so chris is my new/old friend. he does not own a bike, nor has he ever worn spandex...he was born in belgium....but he has never heard of the ronde, or roubaix for that matter. but he knows a lot about jeeps boats and beer. i have never had a friend like this before.

we did a short ride to start him off. i let him ride my cross check wich is a size 58. perfect for my 6'3" frame as i like my bikes on the small side. chris, however, stands 6'8"! even with the saddle raised above the min. insertion, it looked like he was pedaling a kids bike. we rode for about 1.5 hours and had some good conversation. maybe i will get him out again and he will start to realize the beauty of 120 psi, a fresh team kit...and a 65 cm frame.

9.7.09: MTB 11 miles?

2009-09-08T12:21:00.003-04:00

Went early morning mtbing with travis this am. the thing about riding with travis is that the only way it can happen is before the sun rises. once the sun rises, and his wife realizes he is not in bed next to her, or feeding their litter of children, he gets in big trouble.

so its been since last october since we last saw each other. i forgot to bring the camera, so we will just pretend he is in the picture posted above. he would be the one 2 inches taller than the guy with the 29er.

we did the xc loop at millers pond. it was a very very nice morning. embrocation and armwarmers. we conversed about all sorts of things. travis is a great guy. that is all.

9.1.09: 23 miles

2009-09-02T16:57:00.005-04:00

Until today i had forgotten how amazing shoe covers are. every time i looked down on my ride up chestnut hill i was reminded of how euro cool i am. this ride was perfect for shoe covers. a crisp, dry evening hovering around 68 before dropping to 60 by the time i reached home. this of course required the utilization of armwarmers. I slipped them up my arms in wonderment of all the magical fall rides that await.

this house has the best of both worlds. a porch with rocking chairs to sit and watch the storms roll in, plus a classic colonial salt box front door. one of my favs.

this is me leaving my house. self timers are PRO.

8.29.09: 24 miles

2009-08-29T20:13:00.002-04:00

today was the first day of fall here in new england. the temp read 59 as i left the house donning long sleaves, and the sheen of some fresh embrocation. the tropical depression "danny" had dumped some seriouse rain on us last night and this morning, but the roads were now mostly dry...begging to make sweet love to my challenge criterium nerones.

i had big ambitions for the ride, but i felt asleep most of the time. it was the dreary quietness of it all. the dark woods and the faint swirl of the wind as it passed through the thick foliage atop the dew slicked roads. more like a dream than anything else. one i would not mind having every night.

the bridge on resevour road was indead out. required a little bit of carbon soled hiking.

clinton green.

8.25.09: 40 miles

2009-08-27T07:37:00.003-04:00

A very special ride it would be. marcos invited me on a ride with him after i got off work, and boy oh boy was i excited. it had been a solid month since i have had any bro time. everyone lives far a way from me, in places i would rather not ride my bike to, ahem, new haven.

we meet in madison, and after exploring the old cycles of madison shrine (now a womens footwear boutique) we head north. 5 miles in a get my 6th flat tyre of the summer. no tools to repair with. perfecto! marcs women was nice enough to pick us up and bring us back to the shoppe.

from the shoppe we headed up towards durham. it was a great ride with some great company. we spoke of our love of commuting and tweed...we referenced the rivendell catalogue countless times. then we split in our respective destinations, and i headed back to clinton in the dark along windy wooded trafficless roads in the early evening air...it felt spectacular, and quaint.

8.22.09: 22 miles

2009-08-22T19:56:00.002-04:00

I ride the 22 miles on route 1 from clinton to work in old saybrook about 100 times every summer for the past 14 summers. and then there was 2 winters ago when i did it 5 days a week. route 1....countless times.

somehow i never get tired of comuting. its my favorite form of cycling...wich means its my favorite form of anything. there is something about not wearing a chamois or cycling shoes. just a little gold bond on the taint, and your off! brings me back to when riding a bike was your only ticket to the world...or 2 town radius. nice and simple, just riding to where you need to get.

this evening on the way home i was listening to a certain at the gates instrumental that made me think of listening to it on my walkman 10 years ago in the snow in durango on my way to see a show at the xtream room to meet lyn. run on sentance. that was a time where i would never ever think to be where i am now. in clinton, not being a singer in a swedish melodic death metal bands, not even being a gym teacher....still working on the sea sprite...still riding on route 1.

8.20.09 55 miles

2009-08-22T10:14:00.002-04:00

A nice ride today. my longest in quite some time. perhaps since march or so. pretty crazy to think. it was a ride up through north summer hill to blue hills up through powder ridge...ragged mountain and beyond. all the way to newington to meet ammie and ashley at the tattoo studio to go to china pan. a tasty meal after a good long ride.

08.19.09: 25 miles

2009-08-19T12:49:00.003-04:00

Today Ammie had a great idea to go riding before she went to work. So we embarked on the Roast Meat Hill Rd. Classic loop. It was a nice temp out. My right knee/foot could not get comfortable. I was feeling the last full week of riding in my system, but felt great to get out early before the heat.

Removed some road kill. Whenever i do this i think of how Ben Lynch would make this into jerky. don't know if he actually would, but i like to think that it would happen.

Ammie and myself had a very nice time on our favorite roads together. She looked at me as we passed the graveyard on raost meat and said: "these are the good times".

08.18.09: 23 miles.

2009-08-19T12:37:00.003-04:00

My newest machine "Hard Steel Romance" is a hodgepodge as of late. I will get a good picture of him (my machine is a MAN) when the complete final setup is built. I am waiting on a LOOK HSC 4 fork, a gold King headset, and a new spoke for the front wheel. I will also do a review of how hard he is.

The ride today was a short one after work. went up through northern westbrook/essex. Sprinted up lynn street and carter hill. felt pretty good overall.