CUSTOM CROSS SHOES:

Check out my fly Shimano Carbon off road shoe:

I took a pair of old Shimano Carbon road shoes to the local cobbler and he put some Vibram soles on the bottom. He did such a great job on the detail work that I might wear these out on the town. Think Doc Martens with cleats. Cost: $40/ Coolness Factor: Priceless

GOLD FRAMES

I am in the market for some new glasses. I think I might go with these.....

ALL THE CROSS THAT'S FIT TO PRINT:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/25/sports/othersports/25outdoors.html?em&ex=1164862800&en=cdd75349d6179dd1&ei=5087%0A

UNSCHOOLING???

I am putting this one out there to encourage discussion. Check out this article in the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/education/26unschool.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th

It talks about a growing trend in the homeschool crowd called "Unschooling" which the article defines as: "a philosophy that is broadly defined by its rejection of the basic foundations of conventional education, including not only the schoolhouse but also classes, curriculums and textbooks."

Now I realize that this country's public education system is pretty messed up and is turning out kids that can't read, can't write and can't do basic math and I am a strong believer that people will probably put forth more effort to learn about something that they are interested in but my knee jerk reaction is that this trend towards "unschooling" may be going too far. (if you were paying attention, you probably have figured out I never learned about run on sentences in public school, or maybe I just chose to not pay attention during that lesson plan).

Give me your thoughts.

BIKE FRIDAY

Me and my lady spent 4 full days in Florida with some friends at Disney World (more on that later). Due to my unplanned 2 month hiatus from road riding in August and September, I wanted to try to do some riding while in the sunshine state but did not want to deal with flying with a bike. My buddy Kurt and his Bike Friday came to the rescue.

A first glance at a Bike Friday does imply a very high dork factor. After traveling with it on a plane and shuttle bus and riding it for 4 days though, my impression was changed to a very positive one. As any of you who have flown with a bike know, it is a pain in the ass what with lugging around a giant bike box as well as paying the discriminatory "oversized bike box fee". The Bike Friday folds into an included hard shell case that is smaller than a lot of standard suitcases. Add the convenience of wheels and a handle and getting around with the case is a breeze. The bike itself goes together as fast if not faster than a regular sized bike. My buddy outfitted his with Campagnolo Record Components making the bike weigh in at around 20lbs. Normally they come with an adjustable stem that you dial in, send back to Bike Friday and they construct a curved stem for you. Kurt decided to just hold onto the adjustable one which was good for me as I ride with a longer reach than he does. After some measuring I was able to get the bike dialed in and I was quickly out the door on a ride.

For the purpose of logging a few miles while on a vacation in the sun, the Bike Friday was perfect. It seemed more than stiff enough riding down the road and starting up from stops. It did not inspire a ton of confidence pushing it through the corners as I tried a couple of times. I can only imagine this is from a combination of the 20 inch wheels, the higher than normal bottom bracket thus raising the center of gravity, and some lack of torsional rigidity along the axis. Really though, that was my only complaint and since I wasn't doing any crits we can throw it out.

All in all though, as stated before, a perfect machine for the mission at hand. And if Phil Ligget has one can you really go wrong?

BEER'O'COLADA

So I was in Florida this past week and ordered a beer. This is how it arrived. WTF?!

Don't fruit the beer.

BUCKEYES!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, no gloating posts simply because I have been in Florida for the past 6 days with no real internet access (more on that later). Unfortunately due to forces beyond my control, I was on a plane bound for Orlando during THE GAME. I was on a mission of complete media blackout for 4 days until at which time I would receive a burnt dvd of the game TiVo'd by a buddy of mine and sent next day air to the resort where I was staying. This plan lasted all of 2.5 hours since the captain of the plane I was on kept giving the score over the PA system. Then upon waking the next morning, the replay was on ESPN classic. And what a classic it was ending in yet another OSU victory. Final score 42-39 in favor of the Buckeyes. 42-39. And this just in from the Twilight Zone News Update, the numbers drawn in Ohio's Pick 4 Lottery on Saturday? 4-2-3-9.

More on the pending possible rematch later. I am off for some Turkey. Happy Thanksgiving to you all and

BUCKEYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah, the picture? My Brutus Buckeye Giant refrigerator magnet that my lady bought me.

IT'S FINALLY HERE

The big game, the game of all games in the greatest rivalry in sports, The Ohio State Buckeyes v. the Michigan Wolverines. #1 versus #2.

GO BUCKS, Michigan sucks.

WOODY HAYES, A LEGEND AMONG BUCKEYES

T-minus 3 days and counting to the biggest rivalry in sports and I have to devote some time to one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, a man whose name still invokes the type of reverence reserved for saints in the state of Ohio, Woody Hayes.

Woody Hayes was the Head Coach at OSU from 1951-1978. While at Ohio State, Woody Hayes coached the Buckeyes to a record of 205-68-10. Different people have different opinions of Woody, but all would agree on one thing -- he absolutely despised and refused to lose. People can label Woody Hayes as many things, but the one thing he was without question was a winner. He won four national championships, won 13 Big Ten titles, played in 8 Rose Bowls (including four straight from 72-75), produced 56 All-Americans, and had three Heisman Trophy winners.

The phrase "three yards and a cloud of dust" came from his conservative style of predominantly running the ball down opponent's throats. Woody believed that the pass should be used as an element of surprise; "There are three things that can happen when you pass, and two of them ain't good," he would say.

There are two stories that circulate about Woody Hayes that I love and they both involve his special hatred for that team from up north. Hayes was famous for his hatred for Michigan and anything that had to do with the state (he referred to it, of course, as "that state up north" or "that team up north"):

One night on a recruiting trip in the state of Michigan, an assistant noticed that the car he was driving was going to run out of gas. He told Woody, who was dozing in the passenger seat, that he had to pull over for gas. Woody refused, and the assistant drove on. The assistant, who saw the weather was starting to get bad, began to get worried about getting stuck in the middle of nowhere, and once again stressed his desire to pull over and get gas. Woody erupted: "No, goddammit! We do NOT pull in and fill up. And I'll tell you exactly why we don't. It's because I don't buy one goddam drop of gas in the state of Michigan! We'll coast and PUSH this goddam car to the Ohio line before I give this state a nickel of my money!" The assistant knew he wasn't kidding, and they barely made it across the border and sputtered into the first gas station they found in Ohio.

The second story comes from Ohio State's 50-14 drubbing of Michigan in 1968. The day after the landslide victory, then assistant coach Lou Holtz approached Woody and asked him why he opted to round off the win with a rub-their-noses-in-it, two point conversion after the Buckeye's final touchdown.

"Coach, why did you go for two?", asked Holtz.

"Because." replied Hayes, "they wouldn't let me go for three."

Hayes' competitive drive and legendary temper would prove to be his ultimate undoing. He was fired in 1978 after striking a Clemson linebacker named Charlie Bauman who intercepted a pass to clinch the game for the Tigers. Ohio State was embarrassed, and they had no choice but to immediately fire Woody Hayes.

That final incident left a sour impression on Hayes' brilliant career, and it is the picture that many college football fans envision when they think of Hayes. But that shouldn't take anything away from the fact that he is one of the greatest college coaches ever. Buckeye fans by and large still love The Old Man as he was known and remember very fondly the days when he was coach. For most Buckeye fans, Woody always has and always will be the very essence of Buckeye football.

I LIKE IT COLD AT MY HOUSE
Just ask my cat who I don’t think could get any closer to the space heater in my upstairs office without actually getting on top of it.

SEATTLE AREA CROSS RACERS ARE LAME AND WEAK

That's right, I am calling all of you out except for the 28 riders that came across the water to race our race on Saturday. To you 28 who know who you are: you rock. The rest of you: LAME & WEAK!

28 riders total, not in one race, but total showed up for the race at the Fairgrounds on Saturday. Now I realize that it was a first year event, but it is not as if we at Ridge Racing are new to putting on races. The Blackberry and Silverdale Crits are quality events with good courses, good prize money and are well run. So you should have done the IF-THEN Statement which was IF Ridge Racing is putting on this race THEN we should do it because we know it will be a good one.

Other possible excuses uttered by the no-shows:

• "Too far to go." - Yeah, that 1 hour relaxing ferry ride is rough. It will be interesting to see how many of you show up to Mason Lake next year which is farther to get to and pays out less money. Survey says, "Lame".

• "Saving it for the Seattle Cross Series Race on Sunday". - How many are planning on doing both USGP races this weekend? Might want to think about doing a double weekend of racing the weekend before to tune the body up for it. Soft in the head equals soft in the body. Besides that, and this is said with all due respect to the series, we offered up a good prize list with money to most of the categories. So maybe you should rethink that next time if you are too soft to race 2 races in a weekend. Survey says, "Weak".

• "It poured down rain all day on Friday, looked like rain on Saturday". - The sun was out all day and the rain the day before made conditions perfect. How was the mud and rain in Evergreen? Survey says "Weak".

• "I am getting burnt out, it has been a long season" - Maybe you ought to fire your coach, or go out and get one. Besides, I thought racing cross was all about having fun in the mud, how can having fun burn you out? - Survey says, "Lame".

• "I am lame and weak." - No argument from me there.
  Everyone that did show up all had the same thing to say, that it was a really fun course and they had a great time. In fact, this morning we received these emails from a couple of the racers:
  "Thanks for the fun race. I loved the course. Maybe it can be part of the cross series next year. " - Kate

"I wanted to say thanks for putting on a great race on Saturday. I thought the course was awesome and the event was run really smooth. Hopefully you can do it again next year and more people will show" - Chris

Thanks Kate and Chris. So, in addition to the rest of you being lame and weak, you also missed out on a great event. Too bad for you.

A RAY OF SUNSHINE REACHES PNW STEELER NATION:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-FBN-Saints-Steelers.html

WHAT THE HELL IS A BUCKEYE?

This is Part 2 in my I don't know how many part series countdown to the big matchup between the #1 Ohio State Buckeyes and the #2 team from up north. Much of the following is excerpted from one of my favorite coffee table books entitled "Greatest Moments in Ohio State Football History".

"BUCKEYE": from Webster's New World Dictionary, 3rd College Edition: (n) 1. any of various trees of the horse-chestnut family with large, spiny capsules enclosing shiny brown seeds; 2. the seed; 3. a native or inhabitant of Ohio.

What it doesn't tell you is that the Buckeye is poisonous if injested. They do tell you this at freshman orientation at The Ohio State University however. And yes, it is THE Ohio State University, not Ohio University (a cheap MAC imitation) or an Ohio State University or just plain old Ohio State University but "THE" Ohio State University as in, The One, The Only, Biggest, Baddest and Best Ohio State University.

The last thing that happens before all the new freshmen-to-be leave the auditorium from their orientation at OSU is that a guy appears on stage and pulls something out of his pocket and holds it up between his thumb and forefinger and in a tone as serious as any states, "This is a buckeye. A buckeye is a nut. A poisonous nut. If you eat this nut...you will die. So you see, you are about to attend the only school in the country named after a killer nut."

You see, there are legions of Lions and Tigers and Bears out there, but no other Buckeyes in the land. No copy, no imitation, no substitute. Only one, in fact "THE" Only One.

To be a Buckeye is to be a little stubborn, a little arrogant and a little nuts. A little killer nuts. That's a Buckeye.

Now you know.

THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!

Come do our cross race, tomorrow at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. Call it your birthday present to me, because in addition to November 11 being the date of the best cross race in Kitsap County and Veteran's Day, it also just happens to be my 39th birthday. So come race cross. Check out the aerial of the course, and yes...it does go through a barn. Oh yeah, and we are going to have beer.

DO IT!!!

Brillo Discovered:

http://www.velonews.com/race/int/articles/11168.0.html

IT'S ALREADY BEGUN:

http://my.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20061107/455012d0_3ca6_1552620061107-2027883833

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/07/washington/07cnd-day.html?hp&ex=1162962000&en=a044f37f8465f175&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Now I am no Luddite, but what was wrong with the old way of voting? You know, the big polling machines with the curtains and the big red lever? Or (and I can't believe I am going to say this) the way they do it here in Kitsap County via an absentee ballot type of system that you mail in?

I am also no conspiracy theorist but......

GET OUT AND VOTE!!

DO IT!

AT LEAST I HAVE THE BUCKEYES TO CHEER ABOUT

What can I say? After yet another loss caused by penalties and turnovers in a game where they outgained their opponents in total offense, the Steelers have fallen to 2-6. 2-6, WTF?! 2-6 and no real legitimate chance to even make the playoffs let alone defend the title in January.

There is little joy here in PNW Steeler Nation. But at least I still have the Buckeyes.

THE BIGGEST RIVALRY IN SPORTS:

13 days and counting to the game that defines sports rivalry. The Apple Cup? Hell no, that is so small time they can fit it in a cup, not a bowl. Yankees-Red Sox? Red Wings-Avalanche? Chargers-Raiders? Cal-Stanford? No, no, no and please. No my friends I am talking about The Ohio State-Michigan game. The biggest rivalry in sports as ranked by an ESPN poll and as stated by a true blooded Buckeye...me. Hell even John Stewart has witnessed it as the Daily Show broadcast from OSU all last week when he stated on his Thursday night show: "Honestly, Ohio State-Michigan, it's like Sunni-Shiite, I've never seen anything like it. It is insane."

This one is so big you can make the argument that it had its beginnings in a war. A bloodless war, more of a conflict, but a war never the less. The Toledo War of 1835 in which both the states of Ohio and Michigan claimed the territory now known as Toledo. Ohio won that one (or lost it, depending on how you want to look at it).

The inaugural meeting between the 2 schools was in 1897. Michigan won that one in a blowout and continued to dominate the rivalry for the next 14 years. Through the 2005 season, Michigan leads the overall series 57-39-6, and the conference series 45-39-4.

All of those previous meetings however pale in comparison to the ramifications that the game in 13 days could have. As of today, Ohio State and Michigan are both undefeated and ranked #1 and #2 respectively in the Bowl Championship Series rankings. Barring an upset loss by either team in the coming two weeks, the winner of the 2006 game will have a chance to play for a national championship.

13 days and counting to the biggest rivalry in sports. #1 versus #2. The Ohio State-Michigan game. 13 days and counting...go Buckeyes.

Thanks for reading.

Going Old School:

I came across this photo the other day. It's from the Erie Street Pro 1-2 race in Windsor, Ontario in 1989. That's me, 21 years old, rocking the hairnet, shoulder length hair late '80's style and Adidas System 3 clipless pedal system. And, as always, white handle bar tape. Pimp.

Erie Street on Labor Day weekend. You either love it or hate it. I love it. Flat, 4 corners, wide open and usually between 50 miles and 100k in length. It is held in an old Belgian/Italian area of town and the old guys with their Euro-cigars are out in force. They even had a brass band playing from a patio a few years in a row. I did my first Erie Street race in 1984 as a cadet (Canadian for intermediate). My goal from that first Erie Street race: upgrade and do the main event. I have lost count of how many times I have done it since. Eric Heiden and the 7-Eleven boys showed up for this race, as did Steve Bauer. In fact, Bauer showed up last year for Windsor. It is that classic.

The next best part of Erie St. on Labor Day weekend, races in Detroit the day before and the day after. The Labor Day race in Detroit was always held at this old Belgian Sports Club called the Cadieux Cafe and was always 100k in length. A bit of Euro action in the Motor City.

My only regret on putting on the Blackberry Crit (along with the possibility of a crit on B. Isle the next day), I may never get to go back and race Erie Street again. If you are ever in the Windsor-Detroit area on Labor Day weekend, make sure you have your bike, your passport and your racing license and go do the best racing weekend ever. You have my personal guarantee.

World's Largest Skateboard Ramp

Check out the video story from the NY Times on Bob Burnquist's 8 story skateboard ramp:http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/01/sports/othersports/01ramp.html?th&emc=th It loads kind of slow so you might have to refresh it.

If that link doesn't work just go to http://nytimes.com/ scroll down to the video stories and enjoy.

I LOVE RIDING MY BIKE!

Sorry Pleasure, I had to steal your already uttered line, because it's true. Especially on a day like today when the sun was shining high over the Kitsap Peninsula. Me, the Sinner Spinner and yet another So Cal transplant went big logging the miles over the hills and dales of most of the TST route. You know, the TST route is a spectacular one (unless it's 40 and raining, that is) especially when done at non-race speeds on a midwestern style fall day like today. A bit over 3.5 hours, 70 miles and a few thousand feet of climbing later we arrived back home grinning silly from ear to ear. Why do such a ride on Oct 31 you might ask? Because we can that's why. Bike riding, it's cool. Stop reading this blog and go out and do it. DO IT NOW! That is all.