Friday 5am Ride is on

Friday it is. 5am. UVillage Starbucks.

PR Post Race, 5am Ride & Team Axley 2007

PR Post Race
Last PR of the year and Craig won the Masters! I am sure his commmuter bell scared everyone into submission. Anyhoo I can no longer hold his lack of PR wins over him. Unlike our race it sounds like everyone managed to stay upright.

The Cat 1/2/3 field, on the otherhand appears to need work on cornering in the wet. From what I heard there were 2 or maybe 3 crashes? The only one I heard was on the last prime lap but it was behind me as I was staying on the WoW train. I was surprised by how many people try to bust in on the train.. you want to fight for the wheel of the guy who is being set up. Pushing in front of him will only get you flicked; a good train will stop if you push off the sprinter. My goal, though, wasn't to fight for primes. It was to take advantage of the split and attack (which I did on both primes). The 2nd one worked (probably due to the crash) and I got off in what eventually ended up being several solo laps and a couple with various other riders. I didn't expect to stay out so long, but the rain took a little of the zest out of the chase... a couple times I tried to ease up to let my break-mate recover.. I think I need to learn to be more ruthless and just go. Speaking of ruthless I am sure someone is going to ask why I didn't wait for the crash victims. Well, cause I am not Anton. He's the classy one :)

Side Rant: A lot of dudes where trying to push up into me on the 1st and 2nd prime lap and got a little testy when I pushed them back. 1st pointing out where you want to go does not give you the right to go there. 2nd, I'll let in a guy who will actually hold the wheel. But, if you are going to jack my draft and then gap off don't expect any love from me ever. I ain't gonna yell at ya; but I ain't given you the wheel.

I am not sure who won, but I am sure it was a WoW.. it looked to me like they were 3/4 of the finishing group.

Last time I thanked everyone for just being cool dudes and was ridiculed for my apparent softness. So this time I say screw all of you for not letting me win last night. There, I can be mean too.

5am Ride
Amzingly the 5am ride has been going strong. 2 days in a row. Wow. No ride Thursday; I think this will be the official off day. Friday 5am mellow.. UVillage SBUX

Axley 2007
In addition to Team Washington p/b Axley the local team is growing next year as well. Since word is already out we've picked up Ronnie Schmeer, DeLux, The Stallion and Ben Kaplan. I have a couple more bids out but our Cat 1/2 team is looking strong.. but our team is also capped out for '07. On the otherhand our Cat 3/4 team continues to whither. We have some cool dudes, but not enough to really have a full development squad. So... if anyone is interested we have room on both the Cat 3 and 4 teams.

5am Rides

Anyone up for 5am rides from UVillage SBUX? With PruBaby coming soon I got to get back in the early morning gear...

High Desert Omnium

I've decided to take another tilt at 24 Hour Worlds this year. Got my MTB frame, getting built up and then seeing if I can't finally finish one of those stupid things. Not sure what my fixation is on 24 Hour races... I don't like enduro sports. I am hoping they have a team competition this year.

Anyway, I am trying to tease my form back rather than riding myself onto the rivet like I normally do. So after Cake we decided to hit the High Desert Omnium. It was a cool race. I skipped the TT and did the crit and RR. Thank god there were only 25 or 30 guys at the crit cause I think we would have crashed every lap if we had more. The whole thing was short, tight and offcamber. It reminded me of the old REI crit series way back in the day. On the other hand the road race blew apart precisely because there were too few guys. Omer, David, Curry and Holland got in a break early and the lead got so big they couldn't give time checks cause the radio was out of range. With 3 to go the dude inb 2nd on GC attacked and Ian went with him. I knew that the race would be destroyed so I went on Ian's wheel and road maybe 2 or 3 miles just absolutely maxed out. I blew up and got dropped from that group. I recovered, but by that time it was going to be a bunch of us just riding laps in 2s and 3s and I decided I'd prefer to go home. Key word is teasing back into form.

Sorry the report isn't snarky; but as I told Carrie.. it's hard to tease (see, not just a way to get in form but a great word to use in general) much out of a flat, 70 mile road race with 20 to 25 dudes. Basically, we all just wait for the really strong guys to attack and then hang on. Broadmark rode much a very smart race on day 2 to get Curry in the break. I know Ian was getting antsy cause the field was going so slow for 2 or 3 laps (I was in zone 1 at on point in 5th wheel) but he mostly held it in. I think Curry took the overall but that's the advantage of having the lead and a guy in the break with enough points to win too.. CMG had to chase Curry and Ian just had to follow them.

Omer got 2nd but burried himself per usual. Holland sat on, but wisely didn't try to take the win.. that trick gets real old real fast. Tactics aside, it's good to see him riding aqfter the crash at Elma.

And best of all, the wife got to hang out with her friends at a summer cottage by the pool while I raced. So points for that; everyone's happy!

While you were hurtin'

I was at a Cake concert! So deal with it. Actually, we barely made the concert cause the crowd here in OR has a hard time not crashing their cars into the barriers on I-5. The best part is we stayed at the Jacksn Inn so I could get hammered and pass out right next to my room.

I also want to personally apologize to Tubbs. Tubbs, you are the nicest guy I know. You are not a Sith lord. If anything, you are more like a cuddly Ewok. Now will you stop following me to all the races just so you can destroy me in them? Don't think i don't know what's going on here... Woodlands, now High Desert and then Eugene. Don't make me get a restraining order. I am going to have to go back to promoting my own races and not telling anyone to ensure a nice, soft field. And remember, I have no points in this weekend Omnium so it's ok to let me go if I make it to the finish.......

Thanks!

Now that the season is winding down I want to give a big thank you to everyone involved in racing. This has been one of the funnnest years I've ever had. Sure I've gotten annoyed a couple of times, but hell I put half the WoW team on the deck at least once and so far no horse head in my bed so I figure it all works out.

Seriously, Thanks everyone for just plain racing with me and being cool cats.

Meet The Wife

I don't blog enough about my super hot, super pregnant wife. She is both. Mrs. PDog, you rule!

Tubbs: Nice Guy or Sith lord?

After that no holds barred smack down he threw at us last night I am going with Sith Lord. Damn you Darth Tubbs and your Sith Attacking powers.

M*&*%$F&^*ing Bush on a Plane

The President of the United States. And Mad Max too.

You know you are in trouble when...

You cramp so bad you have to walk part of the last 3 km climb.

Our Prayers Are Finally answers

All W all the time

Megatron Endores Rudy

That's right, Decepticon General Megatron (the original, not the TRex) has endorsed Rudy Von Chestnut for Mortal Pet Kombat Grand Champion. Here is the official press release:

Flesh bags. You mean nothing to me. I will take your energon and destroy your world. Hahahahahaha

That was touching. I think I am going to cry.....

PDog brings the pain

Little did you all suspect the pain i brought was Todd Herriott. And for the record, I did not stop chasing with one to go. Todd stopped waiting and drilled it. Ack.

And ok here's last nights Bastardo List:

PDog! You swerve cause and almost kill the whole field. You bastardo! You no longer exist in my mind! And for love of Maria get a new cogset that doesn't skip.


Recycled Cycles Guy! You chase down Mr. Boots! How can you chase Mr. Boots???? He is cute and the girls love Mr. Boots. You Bastardo. You no longer exist in my mind.

Todd Herriott! I give you ride to PR and you destroy my legs after doing hill repeats that morning! And then you ride extra laps to get more time. You Bastardo! You no longer exist in my mind!

Here's PDog

And he's tired. Prepare not to be attacked at PR.

Hard not to be cynical

Well, I guess this really isn't surprising. These things do seem to only happen after a bad election for the GOP or a scandal.

The In Crowd & Crushed

Barb's Triathlon Expo was pretty cool. It stared at noon, a reasonable time and I got to ride my bike and hour before hand. After a year, I am now beginning to see a couple regulars at these events. Beyond bikes seems pretty friendly; the discount store not so much. One thing I've found is that triathletes, contrary to popular opinion, are not cheap. They are high maintenance and want to ask a lot of questions before they shell out their cash. A lot of the booths seem to be discounters...

Since I had a day between expos (Sunday is folsom) I treated myself to the Patterson RR. A 100 miles road race; with a long 3 mile climb in the first 6 miles. After standing 9 hours the day before and not being a climber I had hoped to make it over in a group of 10-15 riders. Off the lead but solid. You know, like a normal race. But I am beginning to think the guys down here get so beaten down by the pro and really fast dudes (a group of 30 or went up the road on the climb) that it just doesn't occur to them to keep reacing. I mean, there were at least 40 guys behind the leaders spread out on the climb yet the best we could manage were little groups of 4. I caught 3 dudes on the decent and suggested we wait for 2 guys coming up, but they all went apeshit and started attacking on the next rise. I am not sure what the point of paying $30 to ride by yourself after 10 miles is, but that seems to be the game down here.

It was aa cool race though; I'd love to do it again. Just got to make sure I make that lead group next time.

Vote for Rudy

It's on! I will be out of town for the weekend but be sure to get the word out: Rudy for Mortal Pet Kambat Grand Champion. Now, I recognize that MPK is just as much a popularity contest as it is about Rudy's mad skillz. That's why I've lined up some pretty solid endorsements that we will be sharing with you, the voter, upon my return.

But first I want to hit some crass alegations about Mr. Von Chestnut straight on. Our opponent, SeaBass, has said some horrible things about Rudy. Or, more accurately, SeaBass has had The Pleasure make these accusations. Now, I realize that SeaBass is tight with Karl Rove, but frankly we expected more. Were's the phone call SeaBass? The genuine concern for a colleague, nay a friend in need? We here at Friends of Rudy 2006 expected more. But, we won't lie. Yes, Rudy has a poop eating problem. But rather than weakness, we say it demonstrates Rudy's courage. Courage to face one's demons:

`` Over my year of life, I felt a responsibility to speak honestly and openly about the challenges that I have with addiction to poop. I’ve been fighting this chronic disease since I was a young puppy and have aggressively and periodicly sought treatment so that I can live a full and productive life.

I struggle every day with this disease, as do millions of pets. I’ve dedicated my life to raising awareness about the chronic disease of poop addiction and have fought to increase access to care and recovery support for the many pets forced to struggle on their own.

This past months I realized I needed to seek help again, so I checked myself into Bone-A-Fide for addiction to poop. I was there over the weekend and I returned to the my owner's house reinvigorated and healthy.

Of course, in every recovery, each day has its ups and downs, but I have been strong, focused and productive in my term as PruFamily pet.

But in all candor, the incident on Wednesday evening concerns me greatly. I simply do not remember jumping of my masters' bed, pooping on PruPuppy's floor nor eating that poop. That’s not how I want to live my life and it’s not how I want to represent you as Mortal Pet Kombat Grand Champion.

The reoccurrence of an addiction problem can be triggered by things that happen in everyday life, such as having Omer Kem sleeping in the living room or Jonny Sundt chase me around the back yard. That’s not an excuse for what happened Wednesday evening, but it is a reality of fighting a chronic condition for which I am taking full responsibility.

I am deeply concerned about my reaction to poop and my lack of knowledge of the accident that evening.

But I do know enough that I know that I need help. This afternoon I am traveling to Snohomish to seek treatment at Bone-A-Fide to insure that I can continue on my road to recovery.

The greatest honor of my public life is to serve my Masters and you as MPK Grand Champion and I am determined to address this issu with the same dedication and rigor that I have exemplified over the past year.

I hope that my openness today and in the past and my acknowledgement that I need help will give others courage to get help if they need it. I am blessed to have a loving family who is in my corner every step of the way. And I am grateful to my friends, both here and in greater Seattle for reaching out to me at this time.

Thank-you.''

Jeez SeaBass, don't you feel horrible now?

Colbert Defends Flandis

Thanks to CNik for the tip on this. Hell ya bring Colbert.

Bring It: Mortal Pet Kombat

It seems not only does Rudy want a piece of coolest pet action, but so does Double C's dynamic duo. Now Haley is pissed and has demanded satisfaction. Hey Haley, you get to chase Rudy around the house and destroy PruFamily's expensively polished wood floor all day. You get matched up with Baxter. And frankly you need to get your lazy ass off the couch and start training. Baxter looks tough.

SeaBass No More

Pleasure: I got one word for you. Rudy. And now 2 more. Von Chestnut. That's right, Rudy Von Chestnut is the Tom Boonen of pets and will crush SeaBass in the ultimate battle of wills. You have been warned.

Rise and Shine

Just got done packing and shipping about 100 pairs of eyewear. These were the long awaited Priority Health Custom V-Raptors in silver and green. A couple other teams found out about them and next thing I knew I was getting pounded with emails requesting, no demanding! a cut of the order.

Anyway, this was cycle one of our new custom eyewear program; hopefully the bugs got worked out. One more cycle and we'll be ready to roll out to consumer.

Stuff

Got nothing for you today. Except stuff. Wasn't that stuff great? It's quite a thing to see that much stuff at that place it was at.

Oh and for Crow: it's not my thing but you may enjoy.

Apocolypse Now

Damn it to Hell. Now even Crofoot has his own blog. Whatever you do, don't let him take naked pictures of you.

Axley Factory Team Ride 411

OK hombres. Despite my erratic schedule I've set up some team rides. We'll be leaving from University Village Zoka at 9am (so get there an hour early if you want coffee cause the line alone takes 45 minutes) on Saturday and Sunday. Craig "Grouchman" Hetherington will lead some rides, I'll lead others. Usually we'll both be there. Craig is being paid one pack of clif shot so be nice, he may be malnourushed and cranky.

normal rules apply: helmet, working bike, water, food, a winning smile.

We have 4-5 hot spot sprints, with the days winner getting the Axley Ciclimino jersey Saturdays and the Pink jersey Sundays. (No attacks or sprints allowed until 500 mtrs to the signs).

Now no fighting over points or Double C will have to play the how long can you fight when Double C is beating you game.

Later

Updated 8/04: rides are open to whomever wants to join us providing they come prepared.

Flandis thoughts

I've been mulling over a post on Flandis for a few days now. I get asked by non-cyclists about it 10 times a day. I have a long post worked out in my head but not the time to write it or properly source it.

Bottom line is I hope Flandis is innocent, but as I've told everyone: never get to emotionally tied up in a professional athlete, they'll only break your heart.

I also tell people it's kinds nice to see a cycling star people really like. No one really asked about Lance or Tyler. But just because Flandis is likable doesn't mean he is innocent. The bottom line is I don't know.

The problem is I do understand science and I can already assure you that this test has problems by the way WADA and the UCI are leaking the info. The MO in cases were the test is shaky is to leak info, get equipe or another paper to draw sensational conclusions and then quietly and subtly release info that changes the meaning of the leaked info. Case in point, the presence of synthetic testosterone was leaked to the press and was implied to be significant. Note that the more recent reports use the word "some synthetic testosterone". "some" is a pretty meaningless term here because small quantities could be present for benign reasons. When asked I am sure WADA will simply say "we stand by our initial assertions (which may not be wrong, since it's most likely the reporters who hyped it. Tricky. (I won't go into the completely absurd argument by WADA's cronies that the reason the test hasn't been validated is because the other labs suck and their lab is so freakin' good).

So WADA is dirty. But, damnit that doesn't mean Flandis is innocent either. I think Operation Puerto is showing that Tyler is pretty guilty, even if WADA's little test is bogus.

So what to think? I will give Flandis the benefit of the doubt because the test is meaningless. But if it turns out that he is doping, I won't lose sleep over. And neither should you.

PR After Action Report

I got no after action report cause it's just too hard to top a couple of Cat 5 dudes getting in a fist fight over a coffee prime. Maybe decaf? Luckily Double C was there to condense the nonsense of those fools

Bicycle Paper Shout out

The Bicycle Paper does an article on Rx options, heavy on me and a nice pic of Glenn Mitchell.