In my excitement, I never snapped a photo of the wheels (awaiting their tubbies at the shop) but here is the rest of the Ritchey stuff (just for you Chad). These are the carbon Evolution bars. I went full out on them. They have a 3 degree sweep on the tops with a flat top for more comfort. They also have an ergo bend which is pretty nice. The stem is the WCS Axis aluminium. I opted for the 17 degree drop with a 90mm length. The seatpost is a WCS aluminium post. It's a 27.2. It's going in my 'cross bike to replace the stripped out one I've been babying for the past two races. While I managed on the first race (6th). The second well...DNF.

Jeremiah, you da man!

Here it is, sorta. None of the Ritchey stuff is on only because it's winter (soon anyway) and I don't feel like destroying it before the season even starts. Plus, when I put the bars, stem, and wheels on in the spring it will be like a new bike all over again.

I got home too late from work to actually ride it today though so I threw it in the trainer. I can tell just from that, that the frame is stiff. There was hardly any movement in the BB area. That means tons of power transfer. Tomorrow I will do my 30 mile loop and put it to the test.

In other news...Staci made me some rockin' business cards. Now I'm all official. It also appears as though we may be able to have a downhill team as well. I'm still working out all the details but it could happen. On top of all that, we are also going "green". Our team has purchased enough wind power to offset our carbon footprint traveling to and from all our races this season. Check out http://www.renewablechoice.com/. It could only cost you $5 a month.

Shawn's finding his rhythm. An 8th place finish at the Trexlertown 'Cross race in the B's. It was a super slop fest. This after a not too shabby 4th overall in the Mid-Atlantic Super Series Endurance Series too.

Last but not least. Thank you Jeremiah for staying late at work to wrap my bars! Now I can start training again. I'm still undecided if that is good or bad though.

Dunkin' without the Donuts

Excitement runs rampant here as we finally got to see what our uniforms may look like. The reason I say "may look like" is because they have to be approved by the fine gentlepeople at Allied Milk. I spoke with the folks at Isaac's Deli (their marketing department has been feverishly working on the design) and they dropped me an e-mail with what they had come up with. Wow! I was pretty blown away. As were a few teammates that I had spoke to tonight. I must admit, it surpassed my expectations.

To celebrate, Staci, Skellington, and myself took a road trip to the new Dunkin' Donuts on Columbia Ave. We fully expected to have some fried goodness tonight and take some home for what we like to call "the breakfast of champions". On the counter of said Dunkin' onuts was a sign that read: "Due to donut shortages we may not be able to fullfill coupons." Turns out, they had NO DONUTS anyway! It's like Hershey not having chocolate. It just can't be true. So now we are on a donut kick but without the key ingredient...Donuts! We pack back into the car to drive across town to Leola. There, there is a Dunkin' Donuts open 24hrs. On our way I jokingly say "Maybe we should call and see if they are experiencing a donut shortage as well?" After I said that though I thought, "Maybe we really should, ahh, heck with it." Luckly, when we got there, there was no donuts shortage at all. It was merely poor planning on Columbia Ave's part. Phew!!!! I really thought we were in for some tough times.

Pictures to prove I was there.

Here's a picture of my hand coming out of the hole left by someones canti. Like I said before, sorry to any I may have exposed myself to. Lycra and sharp/pointy metal do not get along. I am really fond of the dirt skidmark going down the leg. Oh well. It's a good thing that our team kits should be ready to print in the next two weeks or so. I'm running out of bibs to wear. I (as with the rest of the team) am very excited to see what the Isaac's crew cooked up for the design. Their ads are always eye catching but not over the top. I'm sure they will give us something we will be proud to wear.

I hate it when...

I was super excited at racing Granogue. A big UCI-1 race with tons of riders battling. A good starting position too, 3rd row from the front. I made it half of one lap before crashing out. Well, really it was the first turn. The whole way up the paved start the guy on my left was just leaning into me. Really annoying too. I understand that the start is a scrum, no problems with that but, even when I let up he kept leaning. So I decided that it was my spot. Well, I lost. Around the first turn we went, he on the inside. I couldn't hold the edge anymore and down I went. Ripping my shorts on someones canti. Sorry to all I exposed, it was not intentional I assure you. I get back up, dead last. Mash the pedals, over the barriers. "Wow", I think to myself, "I'm back in the middle of this race already!" I hop back on through some twisty donwhilly section. "I love Granogue, it eats roadies alive" I say with a grin in my brain. Here comes the run up. It was pretty slippery but still I was making up ground until...I hopped back on and my seatpost for the second race in a row slipped on me (I'll be replacing it with a Ritchey very shortly). Only last week it stayed put. This week it decided to be completely stripped. Mentally I was finished at that point so I DNF'ed. So my hopes of a good MAC overall placing this year are already over since I couldn't race Wiss today. I have no hope of a call up for starts. Oh well, next season will be different. Shawn, finished 44th (I think), will have more experience next season and I believe one other team member will be racing too so that will help.

my hunch

Turns out my hunch was right about the Ritchey items. I got it straightened out and everything is set. I should be able to complete my build next week sometime.

On another note, isn't this just one of the cutest pictures ever. All his legs are tucked in at his head.

Skelly fell down the steps the other day so I made this smooshy bed for him and he loves it. When I'm working on the computer he is laying almost exactly like that 90% of the time.

He is super excited right now though. He is going to Grammy's house for a sleepover with his girlfriend Xena. She is a Golden Retriever. Skellington thinks she is beautiful. I will miss it though as Shawn and myself have a date with pain at Granogue. I can't wait. I was watching the weather and it looks like they got hit with some rain today. The course will probably be soft and a little slower than the races so far this year. Slower is usually better for us mountain biker types. More technical too. Fast is for the roadies. Although those are fun too. 76 are officially pre-registered with more to sign up tomorrow I'm sure. Last year I started about 2 or 3 rows from the back and still got 33rd on a singlespeed. Hoping for more tomorrow though.

Late.

Worse than Christmas

So here is what I have so far. This the Allied Milk team ride. I'm waiting on the Ritchey things though. Seatpost. Stem. Handlebars. Deep Dish tubulars. With the mugging, I hope the team order (that was placed on my credit card) didn't get screwed up. Our sponsors have been very generous with what they have offered our team and we as a team are very excited to start next season, eventhough a few of us still have two months of racing left.

Like Granogue this weekend. UCI-1 cross race. Last time I checked there were about 60 riders in B's alone and online registration is open until Thursday. It will only get bigger. DCCoD does a great job with this race. If you want to see some of the best in the US, you should be there. Most of the course is visible from on top of the hill.

Late.

So I was planning on not putting this story in but I have to now...

Thursday night around 9pm I was walking down the street to my backyard when I was spun around pushed/punched to the ground. The two gentlemen demanded my wallet. I said "Are you kidding me?" Then they started kicking. I only remember four kicks to the body and head. When I woke up, I found my glasses, noticed my wallet really was gone and crawled (because I couldn't walk) into my house. Everything was spinning and blurry. Staci called the cops and talked me into going to the hospital. I'm not sure why she had to but for some reason I was refusing.

While in the hospital I had some tests done on my neck and brain. Everything was fine. All the pain was from muscle strains and I had barely a scratch. I'm not sure how it happened but in a few days there will be no physical signs that this even occurred.

I spent most of Friday canceling my credit cards and getting a new license. What a pain...

Yesterday was Iron Cross. Shawn and I decided to go up, I was still unsure of if I was going to race or not since I basically have motion sickness all day now (a symptom of a concussion). When we got there I made the decision to start. I was planning on just riding it and seeing where I ended up. At the start I wasn't aggressive at all. I actually ended up dead last by the sandpit. I passed a few on the uphill to the barrier and when I hopped back on the bike my saddle slipped in the seatpost. I rode the 45minutes with my saddle sticking up at a 30 degree angle. Long story short, 6th. Not bad for the terrible start. Shawn ended up 17th.

This is his first year at cross and he is figuring it out. It's nothing like a 50 mountain bike race.

When I got home, Staci told me that someone dropped off my wallet. They found it in the cemetary. Everything except the cash was in it. I couldn't believe it but I already canceled every card I had and paid $15 for a new license. So I cut my cards up and tossed them. Err.

Thursday was a low point in my life. I really lost a lot of faith in people when this happened but with the things that have happened in the last few days I quickly realized that these were just two people out of everyone I've ever dealt with and I can't let them destroy me.

Late.

Not Your Momma's Socks

Our team order from Crank Bros. came today. It was jam packed full of goodies like pedals, multi tools, their new shoe shields (for carbon soled mountain shoes), t-shirts, sweaters, and socks. Lots and lots of socks. I guess I've officially become old today. I just got excited about socks. Out.

Van Dessel. Yum.

So I ordered a Van Dessel Rivet on Friday. It arrived on Monday. One word. Yum! It is beautiful. Now all I need is my Ritchey order and my Dura Ace kit. This wait will be worse than the 12 days of Christmas for a 6 year old.

In the beginning...

...there were bikes. people to ride them. and eventually start and finish lines.

Welcome to the Allied Milk Cycling Team blog. We're a team, that bikes, and drinks a lot...of milk.

More to come...