Single Speed Cyclocross World Championship

When Lance Speaks, The World Bows Down...

Ryan Adams - City Rain, City Streets

Prince - Purple Rain

Blame It On The Rain...

Any shortcomings I have today will be blamed on the rain.  That's my defense!  Looks like a cold front is coming in and it is coming with a lot of rain.  I really don't mind rain and I don't mind the cold.  But, when you put the two together, it sucks! 



Yesterday I started my "off season" weight training even though I am still in the middle of CX season.  I got up early and hit the weights at the gym for about 45 minutes and then rode the bike on the trainer for another 45 minutes.  I haven't rode on my new trainer yet even though I've had it for nearly a year.  I've never been a big fan of trainers.  If you want to get a bike workout, ride your damn bike!  Anyhow, I felt like riding the bike and watching a movie at the same time.  So instead of trying to mount my laptop to my handlebars and hit the road, I opted to stay inside the house and watch the movie while on the trainer.  Anyway, riding the trainer and starting back on the weights has me feeling a bit sore.  But that's ok because I can blame it on the rain today.

While I was on the trainer, I watched "The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia".  I must say, this was one disturbing documentary.  The White family is CRAZY!  Drugs, alcohol, more drugs, murder, music, dancing and more murder.  Those are the words that describe the lives of the White family.  You could probably find some similar characters around these parts of Tennessee.  No matter how big or small the White family's shortcomings are, it's all good because, today, they can blame it on the rain!



So, this morning I've got my black coffee in my stomach and I'm feeling all warm inside.  Looking out the window at the weather, I'm not feeling too enthusiastic about leaving the house.  However, I'm working a side job today to make a little money.  Looks like it will be a cold, wet commute into downtown today.  If I don't make it, I'll just blame it on the rain!

I really want a pair of these shoes.

Mission Workshop Rondel Shoes

Rondel SPD Sneaker from Mission Workshop on Vimeo.

August Hunt: Thomas Malthus on surnud, mu arm

Found this video on Urban Velo Blog.  Bike people love music videos with bikes! 

Don't Call Me Shirley...

Hey, whaaaaat?

Yeah, it's Monday.  Time for many to get back to work.  For me, I've already got my morning workout done and I will be relaxing for most of the day!  Living the uneventful, bum life has its perks.  Yes, I will probably head out for an afternoon spin on the bike but most of my morning will be consumed with watching "Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia".  Looks to be a great documentary about Jesco "The Dancing Outlaw" White and his disfunctional family.



And while we're talking about film, the great actor, Leslie Nielson, passed away over the weekend.  For all of you that make it through the cavity search at the airport, make sure your TSA Agent knows, at the very least, to not call you Shirley!

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.