Shit Fuck

Well. well well. another week gone by and I've hit the deck twice. Dessert plate bruise on my ass witha pointer in the hammy from my saddle. not for a lack of bike handling skill but more so an increase in Jameson after a solid day of Schooner Exact. Fast forward a week and riding up a familia trail on Galbreith I find the one puddle that grabs a bike. Stop. Face plant prevent inacted with a wrist...which is now "tweaked". Fingers move and grasp beer can, no ability to pivot said can to face. All of which means I look like a tard straight arming a con of beer to face. FML. Looks like a SS ride tomorrow.

well shit...

I guess its time to start up again.

Lets see.....I got to play bumper cars the other day on the way in to work except for the fact that the other player didnt seem to notice that I was on my bike. Meh, it could have been worse. landed on the hip and shoulder. stayed i the drops and clipped in the whole time, only scratched the skewer on the rear wheel. YEAH!!!! The bruising on the hip has gone done but still a little sore. Beer time tomorrow!! Schooner Exact kiddies...same beer time, same beer channel.

Here's one for you......

On Deck

Team Double Check Presents:

2010 Labor Day Cyclocross Championships

And SAMURAI NOODLE TEAM COMPETITION

Location: North SeaTac Park (AKA Sunset Park), SeaTac (Seattle), Washington
Date: Monday, September 6, Labor Day
Entry fee: Men $20, Women $20, all juniors $5, (cash or check), no license required, must sign waiver. A cyclocross racer can race multiple times for one entry fee. (Proceeds used to support First Rate Mortgage Junior Team)

Registration: Registration opens at 8 a.m. (Mtn. bikes without forward pointing bar ends are permitted)
Prizes/Awards: Medals – 3 deep & Prizes

"Race for the Noodles"
Team Competition: A team dinner for up to ten at the Samurai Noodle University District store to the USA cycling registered club with the combined best five finishers in selected races. Rules being finalized, they will be posted race day or sooner.

Details at http://samurainoodle.com/news.html

foot trakking #1

It's been going on for awhile - nobody thinks it's related - you be the judge
A human foot has been found washed up on a Whidbey Island beach.
Island County Sheriff's Detective Ed Wallace tells the Daily Herald that a beach walker found the right foot Friday morning. Officials say the foot is small and likely belongs to a woman or a child. They believe it was in the water for less than two months.
Investigators are checking missing reports. DNA tests are pending.
Officials do not believe the foot is linked to a series of human feet found in shoes in recent years in nearby British Columbia waters.

The Cyclocross Meeting

Brian Vernor's (Pure Sweet Hell) new film The Cyclocross Meeting is aboutthe currently exploding US cyclocross scene and the emerging Japanesecyclocross scene. The Cyclocross Meeting follows Barry Wicks and AdamMcgrath two top US races in New Jersey and Oregon, and then to Japan, wherethey compete with seven times Japanese National Champion Keiichi Tsujiura,and the up and coming talent Yu Takenouchi. The film screening is presentedby Yakima, Chris King, Giro, and Nuun. The September 16th showing will be atthe Seattle Musical Theater located at the Magnuson Park Community Center inSeattle. Tickets will be available online and Brown Paper Tickets,http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/125551

2010 Capitol Forest Classic!!

Come on out for a weekend full of mountainbiking!!


Kids Races

Hula Hoop Contest

Super D

XC Race

Sat will start off with the Super D. GL6 was logged earlier this year and has been open for about a month now. Quite a bit of work has gone into it and it is fast! Like a true Super D, there are ups as well as downs. Apprx 6.5mi long, it'll be a challenge for anyone.

Sun is XC race day. Short course appx 9.5 miles, long course appx 18mi and for those going for open or expert, you'll be doing both the long and the short course for a little more than 27mi. 2/3 of the course is climbing.

Kids Races, Both days!! We had such a great response to the kids races we'll have them both Sat and Sun!!

Hula Hoop contest. See how long you can keep it up!!

Race fees include lunch!

Could use some more volunteers, if you'd like to help out, we'll provide you lunch for that day.

One last thing, if you come out to practice prior to the event, keep in mind, all trails are multi user. YIELD to horses.

Register, see http://www.friendsofcapitolforest.org/ for link to registration site or register at the race. Registration closes at 9!!! Race Meeting 9 Sat, Start Super D, 1030am!!

Questions? respond here, email me, scuba_mountainbike@yahoo.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , see CFMTB yahoo group or http://www.friendsofcapitolforest.org/

Bike agenda spins cities toward U.N. control, Maes warns

By Christopher N. Osher
The Denver Post 

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes is warning voters that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's policies, particularly his efforts to boost bike riding, are "converting Denver into a United Nations community."
"This is all very well-disguised, but it will be exposed," Maes told about 50 supporters who showed up at a campaign rally last week in Centennial.
Maes said in a later interview that he once thought the mayor's efforts to promote cycling and other environmental initiatives were harmless and well-meaning. Now he realizes "that's exactly the attitude they want you to have."
"This is bigger than it looks like on the surface, and it could threaten our personal freedoms," Maes said.
He added: "These aren't just warm, fuzzy ideas from the mayor. These are very specific strategies that are dictated to us by this United Nations program that mayors have signed on to."
Maes said in a later interview that he was referring to Denver's membership in the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, an international association that promotes sustainable development and has attracted the membership of more than 1,200 communities, 600 of which are in the United States.
Denver became a member of the group in 1992, more than a decade before Hickenlooper became mayor. Eric Brown, the mayor's spokesman, said the city's contact with ICLEI "is limited."
George Merritt, a spokesman for the Hickenlooper gubernatorial campaign, said the group's goal is "to bring cities from all over the world together to share best practices and help create the kinds of communities people want to live and do business in. John Hickenlooper believes collaboration leads to smart decisions."
Hickenlooper has often touted bicycling as an environmentally friendly and healthy way for people to commute to work and has said he hopes more people will do so.
Last week, Hickenlooper upset some auto dealers on the eve of a fundraiser when he lauded the city's B-Cycle bike- sharing program at an event and asked: "How do we wean ourselves off automobiles?"
Maes, at the rally July 26, took aim at Denver's bike-sharing program, which he said was promoted by a group that puts the environment above citizens' rights.
The B-Cycle program places a network of about 400 red bikes for rent at stations around the city. It is funded by private donors and grants.
Maes said ICLEI is affiliated with the United Nations and is "signing up mayors across the country, and these mayors are signing on to this U.N. agreement to have their cities abide by this dream philosophy."
The program includes encouraging employers to install showers so more people will ride bikes to work and also creating parking spaces for fuel-efficient vehicles, he said. Polls show that Maes, a Tea Party favorite, has pulled ahead of former Congressman Scott McInnis, the early frontrunner in the Aug. 10 primary for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Maes acknowledged that some might find his theories "kooky," but he said there are valid reasons to be worried.
"At first, I thought, 'Gosh, public transportation, what's wrong with that, and what's wrong with people parking their cars and riding their bikes? And what's wrong with incentives for green cars?' But if you do your homework and research, you realize ICLEI is part of a greater strategy to rein in American cities under a United Nations treaty," Maes said.
He said he's worried for Denver because "Mayor Hickenlooper is one of the greatest fans of this program."
"Some would argue this document that mayors have signed is contradictory to our own Constitution," Maes said.

Wolves in the Throne Room

Awesome band out of Olympia, too bad they never seem to play in the States as often as they play in Europe.

Go Looney

I hope this girl wins in St. Wendels:

Billy Lewis 2011 Diamondback Scapegoat Teaser from Diamondback Bicylces on Vimeo.

Cross/Bike Swap: Sign up for Cross series, sell your old cross gear, support Wick and win a raffle prize. Both Seattle Cross Series promoters will be there to answer questions and give you the inside scoop on this years offerings.


About the Cross Swap and Used Bike Sale:
Date: August 7, 2010
Time: 10am - 3pm
Location: West Seattle Cycle University, 4550 Fauntleroy Way SW, Seattle WA 98126

The Cross Swap will allow cyclists the opportunity to rent a space to sell or swap their old, new, or gently used bike gear. There will also be a consignment option available for people who don't want to rent a space. All types of bikes and bike equipment will be welcome. You can also sign up for the Cross Series, preview the latest Cross gear from Vendors and start talking smack about the upcoming season.

Consignment:

Drop off your bike and equipment at the West Seattle Cycle University location July 14 through August 6. Establish a price you would like to get for your items. Cycle U will tag the bikes and equipment with the price and have it available on August 7 for the Swap and Sale. There will be a 20% consignment fee deducted from all bikes and equipment sold. If your bike or equipment does not sell, you can donate it to the Major Taylor Project. All donations are tax deductible.

Any items that do not sell may be left at Cycle University. We will leave them available for sale as consignment items, or you may pick up unsold items at the West Seattle Cycle University location as early as Aug 8th. You may also decide to donate your items to the Major Taylor Project at any time.

Rent a Space:

Costs are $10 for a 5ft x 5ft and $20 for a 10ft x 10ft space. Register at the West Seattle Cycle University location. Sellers who rent space are not charged the 20% consignment fee for items sold the day of the Swap and Sale.

Raffle:

Local vendors have donated bike frames and equipment to benefit "Wick." Wick has been an area race promoter for 20 years. Wick is a close friend of Cycle U and one of the founders of the Seattle CX scene. Currently, our friend is 4 weeks out of the ICU unit and back to his old self, but the bills keep coming! Help a brother out.

Please direct questions on the Swap to Brad Loetel, West Seattle Cycle U manager: Brad@CycleU.com

Thank you,

Craig Undem

Cycle University
Your Fitness is our Passion
http://www.cycleu.com/
1-800-476-0681

Cyclists: We Have Met the Enemy -- and He is Us

By Kevin Kasowski


Earlier this year, I had the dubious distinction of being cited (rightfully) for blowing through a stop sign on my bike. After getting over my indignation, my penance – taking a three-hour "Share the Road" safety course (in lieu of a $240 fine) – was one of the best things I've done lately in terms of enhancing my own self-preservation.

Since then, I've been paying much closer attention to my own riding habits, those of my fellow cyclists -- and those of drivers. And I have to say, fellow cyclists, we've got "issues". When I drive to work, I see hundreds of other cars; of those, maybe one or two on any given day are piloted by drivers who are acting like idiots. When I bike to work, I see half as many cyclists – but at least a quarter of them are blatantly flaunting basic principles of safety.

Today, in fact, I had my first experience of "bike path" rage. As I was cruising along the Springwater Trail, which is shared by bikes and pedestrians (including many kids), I passed an elderly gentleman riding at a leisurely pace. At this same moment, another cyclist (you know who you are if you're reading this) whizzed past me at what must have been 40 mph – even though yet another cyclist was coming in the opposite direction and there was really only room for three bikes on the eight-foot wide path. When I pointed out to this guy that this was "not a good place to pass" I got an earful of self-righteousness back and ended up in a near shouting match as he sped on down the path.

If going 40 mph in a car isn't legal on many arterials and all neighborhood streets, how is it safe on an eight-foot wide bike path? Would cyclists tolerate a motorcycle blowing by them at that speed? Are there speed limits for bikes? If not, there should be.

If we want more people to ride bikes, we have to create a safe environment for all cyclists and hold the "rogue" cyclists among us accountable. A mandatory $5 per bike registration fee, contingent on passing a mail-in safety test, would generate millions annually for bike safety education and enforcement programs that are long overdue, not to mention maintenance of bike lanes and bike paths that primarily benefit cyclists.

Imagine if we managed our road system the same way we manage cyclists – no rules, no cost, no accountability. We'd have mayhem. And as more and more people in Portland take to the wheel, that's what we'll get if we don't change the system, and soon.

Bikie Movie

Wednesday, Aug 11 at 07:00PM

Wednesday, Aug 11 at 09:00PM

Join us as we get some of our post Tour de France cycling fix on with Chasing Legends, a spectacular new cycling documentary.

There is no greater sporting event in all of cycling than the Tour de France. Chasing Legends touches on the rich history, passion and true grit of The Tour as seen through the eyes of Team HTC Columbia along with commentary from Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen, Eddy Merckx, Lance Armstrong and some of the sports most prolific heroes.The film takes viewers on an absolutely epic ride into the race action using a multitude of high tech, high def cameras mounted on bikes, motorcycles, helicopters and team cars.

Cyclists! Don't miss our 4th annual Bike-In, August 28th in Cal Anderson Park. Read more about it here

Fremont's Buckaroo Tavern, a Seattle landmark, to close

One of Seattle's oldest watering holes, the Buckaroo Tavern in Fremont, will close its doors Sept. 17 and turn off one of the city's iconic neon signs — a cowboy riding a bucking bronco.
Buckaroo's lease was not renewed, said owner Donna Morey, 69, and the historic neighborhood tavern will close after 72 years. Her grandson, though, hopes to relocate the bar in Fremont this fall, though no deal has been finalized, family members said.
Established in 1938, the Buckaroo Tavern is one of Seattle's famous dive bars, and has been around as long as Ivar's. The movie "10 Things I Hate About You," which starred the late Heath Ledger, filmed scenes there, and the rock band Nickelback filmed a music video in the bar.
Mostly, though, it's been known as a neighborhood spot, where the beer menu is split into "cheap beer" and "good beer." There is also "free popcorn and free coffee when the bartender feels like making it," said Christopher Morey, Donna Morey's grandson, who works behind the bar.
Property owners Lars and Nils Christian declined to comment, but according to their liquor-license application, the brothers will open a restaurant and bar called Nils-Sila Pub in the Buckaroo's home at 42nd and Fremont.
During its life, Buckaroo Tavern has had only three owners and has stayed open year-round for most of its 72 years. Morey, who has owned the tavern the past 25 years, throws a Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas potluck for regulars.
Her grandson hopes to take the bar's neon bucking bronc — and all the wood paneling scarred with patrons' heart-shaped carvings, as well as the wobbly pine tables — with him, as he tries to relocate the bar.
Patron Tal Goettling, 44, a stonemason and musician who has frequented the Buckaroo since the late-1990s, said the tavern is "like a clubhouse after work. These are friends and family."

Nas post

Stopped @ Dick's

A group of about 15 bicyclists in various stages of nakedness rode from Belltown, through downtown Seattle and on to Capitol Hill on Friday night, where they were stopped by Seattle police, according to one of the organizers.
The ride was part of World Naked Bike Ride, which is meant to dramatize the vulnerability of cyclists in car-dominated cities and to promote nonpolluting transportation, said ride organizer Daniel Johnson. Most cities have their rides in June, but the small Seattle group waited a few weeks until warmer weather, he said.
Police stopped the riders near Dick's Drive-in, and the cyclists complied with their request to stop without any arrests, reports or citations, Johnson said. Further details weren't immediately available from police Saturday.
Police policy in Seattle for events such as the Fremont Solstice Parade is typically for nude riders to be allowed to ride, as long as there are no public complaints.
Johnson argues Friday night's stoppage violated the riders' First Amendment rights.
"This is the first time I'm aware of where SPD has stopped naked cyclists in Seattle without evidence of even one citizen complaint," said Johnson.
Three bicyclists were arrested for indecent exposure in July 2007 at Seward Park, after police received five calls from neighbors.
Friday's route went through Belltown, downtown, Pioneer Square and the Pike-Pine area near the Capitol Hill Block Party.
Some riders were nude, others in costumes, Johnson said in an interview. One person wore a dinosaur suit until it became too hot.
The next scheduled ride is to protest fossil-fuel use on Aug. 7, Seafair weekend, when the city hosts the hydroplane races and the Blue Angels flying team.

It's about the kids

Streets for All Seattle Kick-Off Party

Thursday, July 29, 7 p.m.


Nectar Lounge, Fremont

$10 - $25 - $50 suggested donation

Over the past three months our Streets for All Seattle coalition has grown in strength and size: more than sixty organizations have endorsed the campaign, 100+ volunteers have been trained and thousands of people have signed on in support of the vision. Just as important, our elected leaders have reiterated their support for SFAS's goal of $30 million dollars in annual dedicated funding for pedestrian, bicycle and transit investments. Still, we know that our voices will need to be actively engaged in the budget process, which is why your support is so valuable.


Please join us for this special evening featuring:

• Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and members of the Seattle City Council

• Streets for All Jeopardy, featuring members of the Seattle City Council

• Music by Hot Bodies in Motion, To the Sea and C-LEB

Last NW Cup on deck this weekend

Courses are decided upon.

Last chance to shred the Dry Hill trails for the year as Round 4 of the 2010 NW Cup comes to a close on July 23-25.

Also, Saturday night we will have a carbo-loading pasta dinner at the Red Lion with random movies to get you focused for the next morning. We'll probably do the raffle at the party as well, which will be limited to 200 people. We'll have more details soon.

Fresh tracks for await everyone for the final round.
I promise I'll get the pre-ride video's up as soon as possible this time. I had technical difficulties last time.

Here's the Schedule:

Friday
10am Registration opens
1pm Open Practice (all categories)
4pm Registration closes
6pm Practice closes

Saturday
9am Registration opens
9-1pm Cat 3 & Cat 1
1pm Registration closes
1-5pm Cat 2 & Pro

7pm Series Wrap-up Dinner & A Movie (or two)!!

Sunday
8-9:30am One practice run for all racers
10am Pro Seeding Runs
11am Racing Starts
Awards immediately following racing.
Register on-site only at this point.

Entry Fees:
Friday-Sunday $65
Saturday & Sunday $55

Local Kid @ Nationals

Spencer Paxson (Team S&M Young Guns) had a breakout performance, finishing seventh. The Seattle-based rider, age 25, was psyched with his race. "This is the best performance of my career, definitely," said Paxson. "I raced Colorado Springs last weekend and had a good rhythm and tried to repeat everything today, but a little more aggressively. I was super motivated because it was nationals and I felt great."

Bend to Host MTB Marathon Nats in 2011, 2012

If Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski wants to defend his 2010 MTB marathon championship in 2011, he'll do it in Bend, Oregon. Photo by Courtney Johnson/Porter

Bend, Oregon will host the 2011 and 2012 Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships.
The annual event, which crowns 24 national champions in marathon mountain biking, has been held in conjunction with the Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge, Colorado for the past four years. Its move to Bend for 2011 and 2012 will mark the seventh and eighth USA Cycling National Championship events held in the cycling-friendly city in a four-year period, according to USA Cycling officials.
“We are very excited to further our relationship with Bend,” said Kelli Lusk, USAC’s national events director. “Bend is one of the most popular hotbeds for cycling in North America. Based on our previous experience there, as well as on the community’s outstanding enthusiasm for the sport, we’re confident our members will have an exceptional national championship experience.”
The city of Bend has also hosted USA Cycling’s 2009 and 2010 Juniors, U23 & Elite Road National Championships and 2009 Cyclo-cross National Championships. In December, it will play host to Cyclo-cross Nationals again. Then the 2011 and 2012 editions of the USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships will also take place in Bend.
The 2011 and 2012 Marathon Mountain Bike Nationals will start and end in Bend’s historic Old Mill District. The race course will provide a combination of technical sections and miles singletrack, according to a USAC release. Competitors will gradually climb for 25+ miles toward Mt. Bachelor before looping around and returning to town on a fast and fun descent.

“As a community, Bend is honored and excited to host USA Cycling’s Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships,” said president and CEO of Visit Bend, Doug La Placa.
The event will be held sometime in September of each year, according to LaPlaca.
Marathon-length mountain bike courses range from 60 to 100 kilometers.

Would you like to see more and better trails completed around Washington? This month offers four opportunities to testify in person about the projects you want to see funded by the state.


The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program provides funding for constructing and rehabilitating dozens of trails each year - in this challenging time for the budget, you can make a difference for trails by speaking out. You can read a full list of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition's proposed projects on their website.

The series of budget hearings kicks off Monday in Tacoma - we suggest arriving an hour early to sign in, since Governor Gregoire will be in attendance. Here are the meeting details for four hearings around the state:

July 19 - Tacoma, 7-9 PM, (UWT-William W. Phillip Hall, Milgard Assembly Room, 1900 Commerce Street)

July 21 - Everett, 7-9 PM, (Everett Community College, Parks Building, Multi Purpose Room, 2000 Tower Street)

July 27-Vancouver, 7-9 PM, (WSU-Vancouver, Administration Building Room 110, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Avenue, Vancouver)

July 29-Spokane, Time TBA, (Spokane City Hall, City Council Chambers, 808 W. Spokane Falls Boulevard)

What you Could do

I'm sorry but Neely is too fukkin' funny

Bring the Gold

Enter the Sandman

Enter Sandman Faceplant - watch more funny videos

What’s In A Name?

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.”

With this one verse Shakespeare was able to summarize the central struggle and aching tragedy between two young lovers, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. When in the Park, one can’t help but ask the same question. With signs displaying trail names like Fatcrobat, Heart of Darkness and Angry Pirate posted throughout the place, one must ask, “What’s in a name?”Let’s find out shall we?

Angry Pirate – when one of the trail builders knocked over a wasp’s nest during construction of this trail he was rewarded with a nasty sting below his eye. As you can imagine, the eye swelled up and one of the remedies was to wear a patch. The patch prevented further irritation to the eye and allowed the builder to return to work, albeit in a grumpy state and bearing a striking resemblance to a buccaneer.[1]

B-Line – named after the type of detonating cord that was used to remove some tenacious tree stumps during construction of the trail. Fire in the hole!

A-Line – after B-Line was built and named, it just didn’t seem right to not have an “A-Line”.

Crank It Up – the crew was going to call this trail C-Line but thought they’d better break the pattern. Good decision.

Crack Addict[2] – if Flavor Flav were to ever watch someone ride this trail he’d be compelled to ask, “Yo Chuck, they must be on the pipe, right?” Well in this case you can believe the hype … this is one scary ride!

Downhill mountain biking ... just as addictive and twice as expensive!

Ho Chi Min – before a redesign this trail went straight down the middle of Olympic Run where it was channeled through an extended section of swampy ground. The moist dirt allowed for the surrounding grasses to grow to a height of over six feet and created legendary humidity in the middle of summer. It didn’t take long for a “tour of duty” through this microclimate to draw comparisons to the trail of the same name in Southeast Asia![3]

Heart of Darkness – staying with the Vietnam theme, this trail was named after the movie of the same title[4]. As you may already know, Heart of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse is a documentary that examines the production of Apocalypse Now and the struggles that director Francis Ford Coppola had to overcome before bringing his ambitious project to completion. The following quote from Coppola probably summarizes the content of the film, “We were in the jungle, there were too many of us, we had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little we went insane.”

Devil’s Club – the namesake of this trail is the broad-leaved plant that flanks the woodwork in the forest. Devil’s Club, or Oplopanax horridus, as your annoying friend with the botany degree calls it, has a woody stem covered in stinging spines. There is no need to have sympathy for this devil!

Old School – a nod to the hallowed North Shore, one of the inspirations for the Park and the genesis of ultra-technical and consequential riding.

Fatcrobat – named after a chubby trail builder with the capability of defying gravity with his amazing balance and uncanny knack for athletic stunts, thus proving once and for all that you can afford to weigh three spins as long as you have the skills!

Longhorn – legend has it that in a bygone season the trail crew was offered an awesome deal on refreshments at one of the local bars. As you can imagine, the crew got into the habit of frequenting this place after work. As it turned out, however, the bar had a couple of accountants with overly sharp pencils who started taking notice of the affect that this sort of bro-deal had on the bottom line. Well, the low rates got rescinded for the next season and the team started hanging out at The Longhorn in response. In order to give their new pub some pub, they planted a flag in the Park!

A thirsty rider!

No Joke – a reference to the fact that underestimating this trail would be no laughing matter. Kind of like listening to Kathy Griffin or Whoopi Goldberg do standup … there’s nothing funny about it!

Original Sin – this was the first trail cut in the virgin forest of the Garbanzo Zone. Just like Adam found out in the Garden of Eden, once the forbidden fruit gets picked, all bets are off!

That’s it for now everyone but next week we’ll continue the name game and give you the lowdown on the likes of Dirt Merchant, Samurai Pizza Cat, Monkey Hands and other fine trails. Until then, enjoy the flow!
[1] Good news, scientists are rapidly closing in on the degenerative gene that compels certain people to exclaim the word “Aaarrrrgh” after each and every reference to the name Angry Pirate. It is believed to be the same gene that makes people say “D’oh” after each mistake. If this is you, stop now before it’s too late!

[2] Crack Addict was built in 1997 by Dave Kelly. At the time, Dave was a one-man band; forming both the patrol and trail crew! Since things were pretty quiet in the Park back then, he built C.A. as a secret trail that he could reserve for personal enjoyment. Eventually it got discovered by a bunch of pesky locals and the trail found its way onto the map.

[3] History lesson time boys and girls; The Ho Chi Minh Trail ran through The Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), Laos and Cambodia. It was one of the main arteries that provided supplies and manpower to the resistance forces during the Vietnam War (1959 – 1975). The “trail” was actually a complex network of hiking routes, crude roads and bike paths as opposed to a singular, well-defined trail.

[4] Heart of Darkness has gone through several route changes over the years. Next time you ride up the gondola, look for a tiny singletrack and a bridge over a small creek. This is the original H.O.D. bridge built by Dave Kelly 13 years ago!

It's getting good

I'm not a huge fan of road racing but it's more due to being soured on it from the local scene than anything else. On the big stage (which, all should remember, is about as far removed as a local softball league v. MLB) I am amazed by the athleticism and courage and power that the riders display. This preamble is my justification for watching the Tour. And it's been really good so far. And it just got better:

"Renshaw, the lead-out man for British sprinter Mark Cavendish, was shown by television pictures trying to headbutt the Garmin-Transitions rider from New Zealand three times in the final 400 metres of the home straight.

Cavendish then raced ahead towards eventual victory, his third this year on the race and 13th in three participations, with Renshaw then seen trying to block Dean's sprinter, Tyler Farrar, as the American tried to come up the inside of the barriers.

Top race official Jean-Francois Pescheux said after the race: "Renshaw was declassified immediately but we have decided to also throw him off the race.
"We've only seen the pictures once, but his actions are plain for all to see. This is a bike race, not a gladiator's arena."