Gone But Not Forgotten...

It's been one hell of a week! I've taken a little time off from blogging to catch up on some other things and celebrate Thanksgiving with the family.

On Saturday November 20th,  a group of us cyclists met in Nashville for a canned food drive on bikes.  We all met at the Nashville Farmers Market and rode out to several local grocery stores to purchase food for the region's hungry.  The ride was a huge success!  In total, our group collected over 400 pounds of food and it was all done by bicycle!

Last weekend, I competed in the second race of the "Cross The Way" cyclocross series. This race was held in my hometown of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I woke up early Sunday morning and hoped on the CX bike and rode out to The Page Farm for the race. After pre-riding the course, I felt great and was ready for the race ahead. At the start line, we were all called up based on the last race's positions. As always, a lot of shit talking takes place. There were several new faces at this race since it was a TBRA (Tennessee Bicycle Racing Association) points race.

 

At the start, I got a good jump on the hole shot and was up front throughout the first lap. During the second lap, I fumbled around a couple of turns too fast and got passed by Tony Adair. He had been right on my ass the entire 1st lap and I knew he would make his break at any point. Shortly thereafter, I came around another turn that had some patches of mud. My front tire got sideways and I counter steered in an effort to correct myself. Being a man of big feet, my right foot got in the way of my front wheel causing my wheel to catch and sending me over the handlebars. Several choice words were said (sorry to the parents of the young children watching) and I took a moment to gather my bearings. Once I stood up to get back on the bike, I felt a harsh pain in my left thigh. It felt like I had pulled something. I got on the bike and gave it everything I had to finish the race. My front wheel was warped, causing it to rub the brake really badly during each rotation. Between the pain and the front wheel, it was all I could do to even move the bike. From the time I crashed till the end of the race, I lost 3 positions. That put my to a 5th place finish. At the end of the race, I was met by my friends with a big HTFU (read Nov. 12th's post to understand) and some beers.

After several beers, I was feeling good and back on the bike for the Single Speed race. Again, several new faces showed up to race for points. We have previously had an unwritten rule that if you want to race in the Single Speed CX class, you will need to drink a beer for each lap you complete (during the lap).  During the race, I soon figured out that the one rule of a single speed race is, there are no rules!  While all the others were picking their man and actually racing, Dan Hensley (Owner of Nashville Bicycle Lounge) and I were the only two drunks to cross the finish line.  Needless to say, our finishes were not anything to brag about but we definitely had a lot of fun getting there!  Overall, everyone seemed to have a good race and it couldn't have happened at a better venue!  The Page family were awesome for letting us use their property to race on!

Later in the week, my wife and I packed up her car and headed to East Tennessee to visit family for Thanksgiving. On the way to Knoxville, my wife's car blew a water pump! This was definitely the last thing I wanted to happen while out of town. We had the car towed to a local VW specialist and was quoted nearly $1200 to fix it. There was no way I was gonna pay $1200 for a stupid water pump and timing belt. We then chose the rent a uhaul trailer and my father-in-law towed our car back to Murfreesboro behind his pickup. Luckily, we have a good repair shop in town that will fix the car for a reasonable price. Even though this break down was not wanted, it did bring a new realization to the Thanksgiving holiday. My wife and I are extremely thankful for our families and their help when we were in need!

Now, we're back in the Boro with our lives ahead of us. I'll be back to blogging this week. So, stay tuned for my uneventful posts about the life of Jimmy Deane!

It's Friday!

Living The Car-Free Life...

 

Living the car-free life is great but it has it's moments. I have been car-free for three months now. Actually, I do use a car on occasion. My wife still has her vehicle and we both use it if we go somewhere together. But for the most part, I get around by bike. This lifestyle is not for everyone. If it rains, I ride. If it snows, I ride. If the wind blows, I ride. And when the sun shines, I ride! This has been my choice and I am happy to live with it.

There have been multiple benefits of living without the dependency of an automobile. It's been good for my health, I have saved a little money and I lower my dependency on fossil fuels. This decision has been liberating. There is something to be said about waking up in the morning and heading out on your bike regardless of the weather. When I am riding through traffic, I am happy not to be closed up in a cage with four wheels. Yesterday afternoon, I read all these Facebook posts about my friends being stuck in traffic. For me, I don't have that problem.

The one issue that gets to me is how motorists treat cyclist. On Monday evening, I was heading home (on a bike) from the Rutherford County Bicycle Planning meeting. During this meeting we discussed safety issues in our community and how we can make our community safer for pedestrians. The ironic thing is, I was intentionally run off the road by a motorist on my way home. I was able to catch up with him and took down his plate number (355DZW).

After this incident, I did call our local police department to report this issue. The police told me there wasn't anything that could be done since no damages or injuries were sustained. I was then berated by the police officer because I was NOT riding on the sidewalk. I informed the officer that I have the same right to ride on the road as motorists. She then informed me that I may have the right to do so but that doesn't make it the right thing to do. This really irritated me that my own police department was not looking out for the safety of its citizens. Cyclists have the same rights but also have the same RULES as motorists. If we are obeying those rules when an incident happens, we should be protected by the authorities, not lectured.

I am not asking the world to give up their cars. However, I ask the public to lookout for those who choose to live lives outside of the automobile. We as a community need to learn to coexist with each other. Set aside differences of opinion with your neighbor and go forward. That cyclist may be your child one day. Be careful out there!

And to further your reading, check out how corrupt our country's justice system can be when money rules over justice: Alleged hit-and-run driver may not face felony

New Sports are Awesome!

When it rains, RIDE!

Sometimes you gotta HTFU and ride, even when it rains.

Not gonna lie. This has happened to me before...

Danny MacAskill never ceases to amaze me...

I've been watching Danny's videos over the last couple of years and he is always point on!  He can land some crazing trials stunts and he's always looking for new obstacles.

Big Bad John...

Some great things in life must be avoided...

Saturday was the Cannonball Alley Cat and Roller Races in Nashville. I had planned to head up that way and make it to the roller races but a change of plans occurred. I ended up at a local honky-tonk bar (I will not explain this any further). From the looks of all the pictures and videos, a good time was had! Murfreesboro's own Tyler Walker won the roller races!

photo courtesy of Ryan Green

Sunday afternoon, I decided to head up to Nashville and check out the aftermath of the previous night. I swung by the Nashville Bicycle Lounge with my wife and we kicked it with the shop's owner, Dan Hensley, for a while. If you haven't been to the Nashville Bicycle Lounge, you should check it out. Such a great shop that is dedicated to the everyday cyclist. Dan is nothing but a great shop owner! His philosophy is to make the bike shop a place you would want to come to not only to buy a bike but to sit back and hang out. Every time I visit the shop, a few beers always seem to get consumed as well! From all the beer bottles present in the shop, I could tell the previous evening had been a night of drunkenness!

 

Dan will work for beer, wine or whiskey

All in all, I wish I had been able to make it to the race but maybe it was good that the world was spared from my roller wrath! Another race should be coming up soon and I am sure I will show my presence. For now, I'm focused on next weekend's cyclocross race. Next weekend's race is going to be brutal! I have ridden the course a few times and it is filled with tight turns, loose corners and plenty of roots, rocks and trees that can be hit if you don't watch yourself!  So, if you're in the mid-state area, swing by and ride or watch the race.

Kurt Page Farm

4395 Shores Road
Murfreesboro, TN

Cross The Way #1 Race Video

Many of my friends have heard the non-stop discussion from me about Cyclocross.  This is what I live for this year!  I have spent a good part of the year getting ready to lay it all down at the races.  Last month was the first race of the Cross The Way Cyclocross Series.  I raced in both the Cat4's and SS class.  Thankfully, I took the victory in both races.  My finish in those races was my first actual "Sanctioned Race" victories I have had as of yet!  This next weekend is the 2nd race of the series and I'm looking forward to see what is ahead.  This week will include a lot more training and a strict diet.  We'll see what happens next Sunday!

Till then, I thought I'd share a video that was filmed by Harpeth Bicycle's own, Nathan Taylor.  There isn't really any good shots of me as I took the hole shot out the front at the beginning of the race.

Cross the Way CX4 Race #1 from Harpeth Bicycles on Vimeo.

Live Forever...

I was discussing this song with a buddy of mine today.  Such a great song that was wrote and performed by an amazing musician.  I have had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Billy Joe Shaver in concert a couple of times.  It has always been in some small bar.  Before and after the show, Mr. Shaver always walks around talking with everybody and will even sit down and have a beer with you.  How many music legends do you know that will do that?

This one will make you cry, no matter how manly you think you are.

I plucked this video off of "All Hail The Black Market".  This one brought a tear to my eye pretty quickly!  Watch and be thankful for your four legged friends.


Last Minutes with ODEN from phos pictures on Vimeo.

Only the greatest cartoon of all time...

Here's a little something to watch with your Saturday morning coffee!  Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Turkey Day Hangover Mountain Bike Ride (11/27/10)

Come hang out with everyone on the Saturday after Thanksgiving at Raccoon Mountain.  We'll hit the trails around 11am for some of Tennessee's best mountain biking.  Bring your favorite booze and food (watch out for the TVA open container laws).  Anyone's welcome!  If there are too many people, we'll just bust up into groups. 

HTFU and Ride!

There used to be a saying in the bike shop worked at; "Hush the F*** Up and Ride!"  It was always mentioned when someone we knew would come in talking about their bike wasn't fast enough or talking about wanting to make their bike lighter.  The best thing you can do is just ride your bike!

Well, today was one of those days I needed to just take my own advice.  I haven't been riding the road bike very often lately.  All my riding has been consolidated into commuting and what not.  Today, I decided I was long overdue for a good road ride out in the country.  The weather was great and I had some time to kill.  I geared up in my sleeveless jersey (Yeah, in November) and hit the road.  As I always do, I had my Garmin GPS bike computer on the bike.  About eight miles into the ride, I realized I was watching my computer more than I was watching what was going on around me.  I got trapped in over analyzing how fast I was going, what my cadence was, what my elevation accent was, what my heart rate was, etc.  So, for the first time, I just turned off the computer and rode my bike.  As soon as I did so, it was like Zeus was pedaling this rigid machine forward!  Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration but I felt as though I was riding harder and faster.  I felt good.  This simple action also allowed me to just enjoy the ride.  I was no longer caught up in analyzing all this data.  That made all the difference. 

I don't know how far I rode.  I'm not sure what my average speed was.  But I do know it was a kick ass ride and I wouldn't trade it for the world!  Next time you find yourself THINKING about riding more than you are actually riding, remember to Hush the F*** Up and Ride!!

Charlie Sheen is Too Damn High! Brought to you by the guy who brought you, The Rent is Too Damn High!

The Charlie Sheen is Too Damn High Party from Jimmy McMillan

Roky Erickson and The Aliens - Sputnik

Chrome Ivan Rolltop Backpack (A Review)

Living car-free has the demands of a good way to carry your stuff.  A few weeks ago, I went on a search for the perfect bag.  I've been using a messenger bag for the past few years but I just wasn't satisfied with the way it felt when loaded down.  I've always had great respect for bags that are manufactured by Chrome Bags.  I've already got a pair of their shoes and a hip pack.  Both products have been great.  Not to mention, their bags are manufactured in the good ole' U S of A! 

After reviewing several companies (Mission Workshop, Seagull Bags, ReLoad, Timbuk2 and Wig), I finalized my decision with the Chrome Ivan Rolltop Backpack.  Several of the reasons I made this decision were based on pricepoint, function and size.  Chrome was a little more expensive than the Timbuk2 but cheaper than some of the others.  One of the main components of the bag was that it had to be weatherproof.  The Ivan is lined on the inside with a heavy duty truck tarp fabric.  With the bag's main compartment being sealed off by a rolltop, anything inside the main compartment was water tight.  I got a chance to put it to the test in a downpour ride home one afternoon.  Everything stayed dry in all compartments.  My laptop even stayed dry in the laptop sleeve thanks to the rubberized zipper and over flap.

The pack rides very stable on my back regardless of how much is loaded into it.  I have carried up to 50 pounds of groceries just fine.  The only issue I have had has been with the back panel.  There is a foam panel sewn into the back of the pack that tends to fold into a crease at the small of your back.  It hasn't been too uncomfortable.  However, it has been a little annoying as it keeps the pack from resting flush against your back while hunched over on the bike.  I am still waiting to hear back from Chrome regarding any solutions for this.

The organization of the pack is great!  You have two smaller pockets on the outside with a flap to cover the pockets.  These pockets work great for small items such as a u-lock, phone, wallet, tools and such.  There are daisy chains to separate the two pockets.  These are great for attaching your rear bike light or a carabiner.  The Ivan pack also has a laptop sleeve that zips right above the two outside pockets.  The sleeve is big enough to carry my 13 inch MacBook Pro.  I'm not sure if it will fit a laptop much bigger than a 15 inch.  The zipper is rubberized to keep moisture from getting into the sleeve.  The last compartment is the main one.  The main compartment is massive.  I have been able to fit an entire case of Red Bull in it with a hoody and a rain jacket.  The compartment completely lined with the truck top and closed off with a roll top.





Overall, I give the bag one and a half thumbs up.  It would get two thumbs up if the back panel rested flush against my back.  Again, this isn't too big of a deal.  For the price, $180, you really can't beat it.

Loose Nuts Demo

Some friends from Georgia are featured in this video.  Some pretty rad skillz!


Loose Nuts Bike Battle from Killa Kareem on Vimeo.

Cool Video

Cycles of Life - A Cycling Documentary from Johannes Bay on Vimeo.