Surly LHT

Some strong arguments on why the Surly LHT is going to be my next bike. I can EPO the complete bike for $600, complete with Surly front and rear racks for an additional $150. The only thing I am waiting is the pending sale of the BOB trailer and my Rocky Mountain.

Bars on Bikes

Sorority girl: "Man, did you see that guy riding around in the rain [on his bike] with only red underwear?"

10,000 miles in one year?

Hard to say if I can keep the current pace. As of now, I have a little under 300 miles for the month of August, down a bit from my previous averages.

Links of the week:
10,000 mile challenge
Open water marathon at Olympics
Mountain biking Patagonia
Moving targets
Boom in Bike shops

8.2 miles

8.2 miles is the new, one-way commute to school. I did my first ride today with some new, discounted panniers/rack loaded with my work outfit. It took a little over 30 minutes. Good times. Seems as though the Men's shower at work is never really used since there is a life time supply of shaving cream at my disposal.

I am still swimming and running 2-5 times a week along with my normal riding schedule. I have a slight drop in mileage during the past week, although that was mostly due to an unexpected error on my part while driving up to do Mt Lemmon with Scott Morris. Sorry about that again Scotty.

Crit racing

Can't wait for this to start up again.

On a related subject, I am working on making the Trek 800 into a singlespeed with flat bars. It should be done in a few weeks. Also, commuting to work has been put on hold for a few days as I begin to settle in. It seems awkward driving to and fro from work the past two days. The showers at work are going to be priceless. Did I mention there is about a year's supply of shaving cream and soap stocked for us? Bike friendly jobs are a must.

Ninja warriors

Picture courtesy of Shawn

There were 23 participants on Saturday, most I think were just intent on doing the firs lap around Humphreys. Nonetheless, six of us completed the entire 88 miles on Saturday despite the rain and mud. Honestly, the Crazy 88 was one of the best grassroots races I have ever done. Great job Nathan. If you missed this one, you missed out. The option to have two different loops contributed to the good turnout. I foresee a time when grassroots racing becomes more prevalent than over-priced, forest road racing in Arizona.

I look forward to many more races up in Flagstaff by the Handlebar Sandwich. Finally, great job to Jason also for conquering the entire route.

Grassroots racing at its finest

I have been quiet on blog for the past week. The new high school Spanish teaching job and Performance Bicycles job are taking up some of my computer time (although my biking seems to only have moved to commuting and late night rides). I have a passion for both bicycles and education, hence the two new jobs. Now, I just need to somehow incorporate the two by having a cyclist club at my school. I will continue to work at PB 1-2 days a week during the school year and more during Christmas vacation.


I'll be headed up to Flagstaff this weekend to race the Crazy 88 race. The plan is to meet up with Chris Gardner in Phoenix and continue on to the house of the most hospitable couple in Flagstaff, Troy and Dara. BBQ and Beer to follow! I hope to do the 84-mile, 10,000 feet of climbing race in around 9-10 hours (since Dave C and I did the first half in a little over 6 hours moving time a month ago). The plan is to pack light, race hard, and have fun. Here is a nice teaser from last month's pre-ride of the first 50 miles:


Now that I race for free, I often have to ask myself if I will ever go back to paying for an endurance race. I will continue to race the occasional 24 hour race, but I have to honestly say that I have found my niche of racing, grassroots, endurance racing with PEE, Crazy 88, KMC, and the Arizona Endurance Series. Who else will step up and host the next endurance race in AZ?