North Iowa Bicycle Underground

You got the minerals?

2010-03-10T16:20:00Z

It is upon us. The final night of the 2009/2010 Roller Derby Winter Season. The series will be decided on Saturday, March 27th, staring at 6:00pm. Lorado's on the plaza will be the OK Coral.

The series champion will be crowned with a HED H3 Front wheel, and the Universe Champion (Men's and Women's division) will be named. This is for all the marbles.

We will run the night a little different than other evenings. Blind draw double elimination. No qualifying. You lose twice - you're out. The last spinning stud left standing takes home the Universe Jersey. The consistently strong animal with the most series points will take home the wheel.

Here is an idea what the bracket will look like (depending on the number of contestants). It's gonna be hard. There isn't going to be a lot of rest between rounds. We can't call it CHAMPION OF THE UNIVERSE and make it all easy and shit. Be ready for a throw down.

After the racing. The areas best DJs will be pumping out the electronic (Techno for the musically illiterate). So stay after to rejoice your winnings with a mug of your favorite elixir. Or stay after to cry in your beer with the rest of us. The bar closes at 2:00am, you're welcome to stay until then.

Lucky participants will also take home prizes from Waynes, Oakley, Splash, Lakeside, and Bennetts. $5 to race. No cover to watch.

Bring your cowbells, whistles, vocal cords, and friends. Let's pack the joint. See you there!

"Who the hell needs hunter orange" - Dick Cheney

2010-03-10T01:53:00Z

Notice the NRA guys stand BEHIND him.

Listening to the Iowa Public Radio program The Exchange on Monday, I heard the tail end of a broadcast dealing with the proposed bill and amendments involving cyclists and the vehicle passing law. The first half of the program is dealing with parks, so you can forward to the halfway point of the show.

The Exchange MP3 Click here to download the MP3

Mason City's own State Representative Sharon Steckman was on the program talking about an amendment she wrote. Another Representative, Buford T. Justice, was on the program to speak his mind about the the bill.

I had thoughts of anger, thoughts of agreement, and thoughts of "You got to be kidding me".

I agree that there are laws and regulations that cyclists just don't understand. I agree that when cycling, two abreast, three abreast, and riding near the center line isn't the best plan when traffic is near. I agree that some form of education on the laws needs to happen. I strongly feel however, that a licensing program, or "Cycling License" isn't the answer. What are we going to start, The Iowa DUMB (Department of Un Motorized Bicycles)? Show up there, get your vanity plates with your favorite state song bird or university? Give me a break. I guess the only upside if they were to initiate a cycling license program - is once you get the damn thing - it will never be taken away. Just ask this guy.

And the tax/license fee bogusness? How we as cyclists don't pay taxes at the pump or in the DMV - and as such, don't pay for the roads we use. Give me a show of hands - all those reading this blog - WHO DON'T OWN A MOTOR VEHICLE OF SOME SORT - RAISE YOUR HANDS. What?!? None of you? (or maybe just one) You all have at least one vehicle? Does that mean that you occasionally buy fuel? Once a year pay your registration fees for the gas guzzler? Man. Sounds like maybe you are footing some of the bill - wether the non cyclists like it or not. Their your roads too

I am thinking of charging all walkers who walk down my sidewalk a tax. Hey, it's my sidewalk. I have to maintain it. Salt costs money. Shovels cost money. Here you are enjoying my sidewalk at no cost to you - using your rubber soled shoes - tearing up my cement. Let's not even get into the roller bladders and skateboarders on my sidewalk, or the cross country skiers who may pass through my backyard. That's my snow! Took me all winter to get it to that state. Leave your 25 cents, and move on.

The call for cyclists to display slow moving triangles, moped style flags, or to have half of the cycling kit be "hunter orange" or "school bus yellow" is totally not the answer. Representative Justice's liking cycling to hunting, where pheasant and deer hunters are required to display hunter orange while in the field just doesn't jive with our sport. First of all, unless you are in the film Easy Rider, I don't think any vehicles are "gunning" for someone on two wheels.

When hunting, everyone is out to shoot something. The reason for the orange is so that someone doesn't accidentally shoot another person - either by mistaking that person for the intended huntee or by not seeing the other person when shooting the weapon. Using the hunting analogy, it would be like saying that motorized vehicles are out on the road "looking to hit something", and cyclists better wear orange to make sure they are not mistaken for something worth hitting.

To steal a quote from a good friend "I guess that we better have every motorized vehicle on the road painted hunter orange or school bus yellow". In the bike vs car - car wins. Car vs semi - semi wins. Semi vs train - train wins - verbiage vomit - if everything out there was hunter orange or school bus yellow. Everyone would always see everyone else! Bang - no more accidents.

Keep the kids safe at any costs. Even in a roll over.

Don't even get me started on camo vehicles. Good god. What do we do with them? Vehicles TRYING not to be seen. That's a danger - just think. A truck sneaking up on an unsuspecting cyclists. And if that cyclists doesn't have their 50' of reflective tape wrapped around their entire body. 79 square feet of hunter blaze orange poncho. That sneaky little bastard is going to run them over.

Hardly even noticed this thing coming down the road. How about this one?

Again. I am not against safety. I am not telling people on bikes to have reverse road rage against their fellow auto drivers. Don't TRY to take up as much room on the road as you can because you think you are allowed to. Be courteous, move over when you can, treat drivers with the same respect that you would ask for yourself. Have lights on your bike when it is dark. And the difficult one, obey traffic laws. I break them all the time. I hardly never stop for a stop sign. But I am going to try. I am going to make an attempt to follow the rules that are written. I want the auto brethren to see that at least one cyclist is trying. Can you try?

Way to go Jeffrey

2010-03-08T13:53:00Z

Ok. I can't watch the Oscars - the song and dance, and a million commercials. The bios on the french actors who just couldn't make it over here, but had such a profound "black and white" cinema carer that no one cared about...

Well, I do check out some different sites after the show is over - and yes... As promised I did wet myself. Not only did The ex-Mrs Cameron beat her old beau for the director statue, but the Locker also beat out the 100 trillion grossing alien movie for best picture.

But the award of the night goes to the Dude. We love 'em.

Watch Jeffrey get asked about the Dude.

We're happy for Tom

2010-02-27T01:16:19Z

This was just posted on Tommy Z's blog. We are happy for him, but sad
for the sport.

Semblance of Control

I'm tired of having my destiny in someone else's hands. But today is a
different day. Today is the day I take back the reins. However, today
is not yesterday...yesterday was the day I was to cut all ties
completely. Today, I have a slightly cooler head but the idea is the
same. You can thank Rebecca for this 'resignation' letter not going
out yesterday:

â€œDone.
I officially received a 2 year sanction notification from USADA today.
No big surprise, right? I alluded to this weeks ago. But my reaction
is a surprise. Call it the straw that broke the camel's back â€" I
don't know. Whatever the trigger, I've decided to walk away from the
sport. I haven't talked to the friends and family or anyone else about
this. Call it a rash decision if you like, but I'll try to explain my
reasoning so that you can understand where I'm coming from.
I've been watching the Olympics these last few days and it has been
really inspiring for me. For the first time, I can see myself standing
on the podium, bowing my head to receive my medal. This is a
breakthrough for me. It helped me affirm to myself that I need to come
back from this ordeal and rise to the top and accomplish greater
things in the sport of cycling. Today, I started asking â€œWhy?â€. Why
do I 'need' to come back? Well, because I've felt this burning in my
gut these last two weeks, propelling me to work harder and become
faster than I ever have before. Okay, but that doesn't answer the
question, I can do that without racing. Maybe it's because I've grown
accustomed to the cycling spotlight and people looking up to me. Maybe
it's because I want to show all these doubters just how strong I am.
Maybe it's because I want to continue to live the 'pro' lifestyle. I
think we're getting to the crux of the reason for a comeback now. But
what am I truly after in this life? Asking myself this question today
the answer was â€œto be extraordinaryâ€. I want nothing to do with
mediocrity. But on top of that (and what I've lost sight of in the
last few years), I want to improve the world. Yes, I am a naÃ¯ve, 30-
something dreamer, but I want to help save the world. And I always
said that I would use cycling to amass influence and monies and then
put myself to good use in helping my causes of choice (like a certain
Texan who is a Saint in the cancer community). But the reality is,
cycling and racing so consume me that I have little time or energy for
anything beyond myself. My first year out of college, I made $28k
working at a chemistry lab in Boulder. During that year, I managed to
work 40 hrs/week, train between 70-100 miles/week running (which led
to a 2:31:40 marathon), buy a new car for my mom, and give around
$1000 to various charities. A few years later, when I decided to put
everything I had into becoming a pro cyclist, I worked around 25 hrs/
week delivering pizzas, trained around 20 hrs/week cycling, and
volunteered at the homeless shelter twice a week because I was barely
making ends meet and couldn't donate money. For comparison, last year
I made more money than I ever have in my life, had no other job than
racing my bike 70 or so times during the year, and still only gave
maybe $300 to charities over the course of the year and sometimes went
months between contacting the teenage boy whom I'm mentoring. What's
extraordinary in that? What's more extraordinary â€" if Greg Mortenson
would have made it to the summit of K2 or if Greg Mortenson failed to
summit K2 and instead dedicated his life tobuilding hundreds of
schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan? I'd say the latter. What's more
extraordinary â€" Eric Heiden the amazing skater and cyclist or Eric
Heiden the amazing surgeon? How about Davis Phinney the cyclist or
Davis Phinney the Parkinson's crusader? I've come to the realization
that I would rather be a David Benke than a Cancellara. I would rather
help the boy I'm mentoring graduate from college and break the cycle
of poverty in his family than win a Pro Tour TT. To me, the life I'm
choosing from this day on is more challenging and potentially
rewarding than the life of training to ride in a straight line really
fast for 40 minutes. For whatever reason, I haven't been able to do
both so it's time to step back and re-prioritize.
And no, I would never have come to this decision without this positive
doping test fiasco. So, maybe there's the good out of this situation.
Am I giving up? In a way, I'd say I was giving up on my dream while
being a pro cyclist. I was so self-absorbed that I did little good
with life beyond my self.
And so that's that. It's been fun. I'm taking so many wonderful
memories and relationships from the last 6 years with me. And now that
I'm done with all of this, I want you to hear the truth once and for
all. Come in close so I can whisper.....I didn't dope.â€

Today, I laid all my cards on the table for USADA. I told them
everything that I know about the positive test, meaning every possible
lead as to how it happened, and that I will cooperate in any way that
I can. As great as my lawyer has been for me, I told him that I needed
to do this on my own from now on. I have no intention of taking this
case to a hearing. Now that I've made the determination that I really
could and would walk away from the sport forever, it's liberating.
USADA, WADA, and the UCI no longer have power over me. But I will
continue to jump through a few hoops (if not too high nor on fire) in
order to leave the option open for a return in years to come (though I
sort of hope I have the courage to begin a completely new career and
never look back). I will continue to try and figure out how this
happened so that I know for my own sanity and so it won't happen to
someone else, but that is a separate issue. I'm ready to turn the page
and start living a better, more fulfilling life. Whether or not
bicycle racing is in that future is too foggy to tell. I hope you all
can understand why I've chosen this road. It feels so good to be out
of the holding pattern.
Okay, I gotta go. I have some jobs to apply for!
Posted by TomZ

It's not rigged - It's just HARD!

2010-02-26T03:52:00Z

What a night. Round 6. Over and out. We threw the competitor a little curveball. NIBU friend and support Darren N. donated the use of his ultra high tech training device. A RealAxiom powered trainer set up grueling challenge for each of the riders. Each had to ride up a virtual mountain for 350 meters. A 12% grade mountain that just wouldn't end.

Jon G. powering out the big wattage.

The first rider up was Ruben, who set the tone. It was a tone of pain and work. Jon H. set the fast time at 39 seconds. Only to be topped by co-worker Jim M. Big papa Jim ticked over the old steel frame to get a 2 second lead on Jon. But it was second to last rider Eric F. who was able to knock off Jim, by only one second - earning him the bye in the first round.

Watch Eric win the Qualifying round by one second.

A very interesting situation was set up with the results of qualifying. Eric placed first, Jim qualified second, and Jon was seeded third. Well. Eric gets the bye, Jim races Jon G. and Jon H. gets RUBEN in round one! Interesting. The two most consistent riders. The two riders who have been in the finals more than anyone else. Ruben winning the last three races, leading the point series, and Jon in second - only one point back.

Round One Super Race

That race had to be the best race we all have seen since Ruben pulled his foot out of the toe strap, but was still able to win. This was an amazing show of speed and guts. It ended up so close - no one wanted to call it. Our officials calling the shots, came up with Jon winning by less than 10 meters. When checking out the max kph output. Jon H. put up a 101.3 kph. Did you get that? 101.3 kph. The fastest speed ever seen at the Derby. And trust us. We have tried to get that fast. Ruben's top speed was over 97. One of the highest speeds also. Amazing.

So, this night was going to be the breaker for Ruben. Out in the first round. The Derby was about to get a first time winner, and Jon was going to take over the point lead.

The rounds went down like clockwork. Each rider putting in the best they had. The feel good moment of the night was Mike C. getting back up in the saddle. Mike broke his Collarbone riding with Seth B. on an icy gravel rode. We were so happy to have the man back in the house! We love ay Mike.

The semis were Eric vs Seth, and Jon H. vs Jim M. Eric and Seth made a boring event of their semi by playing around, and coasting until the last 100 meters, and sprinting to a tie - Seth was promoted into the final. With much joy on his face. The MetalCraft rematch between Jon and Jim had the big men punching their way to finish. Jon took the win, and moved into the finals against Seth.

The intermission between the semis and the finals was the contest of the Weaver Twins. The Weaver brothers got up, and gave each other a workout. Each riding their hardest to earn bragging rights at home. The ride was a little much for he older Weaver, as we deposited some workout juice on the ground outsize on the plaza. Ruben has a pic on his Facebook - but it is rather nasty. If you want to see it. Search for yourself. This is a family blog.

Final race went down the the last 30 meters. Jon just had a little too much gas in the tank as he just nipped Seth at the line - giving him his first finals victory of the season - and sole grip on the series point totals.

Click here to watch our ultraly high technological super video of the finals.

Now - we are uploading videos to YouTube from the race, so please subscribe to our channel. Go to YouTube, and type in NIBikeUnderground in the search field.

You will get a link to a Derby race. To the lower right, you will see our channel "NIBikeUndergound". click on it, and then his SUBSCRIBE. That way you can come back to see all the great films. Our buddy Darren shot some great video, and has been uploading like a mad man.

Now, on to the last race of the Derby. Our Champion of the Universe Contest will be held at Lorado's on March 27th. The Championship racing will start at 6:00pm. The final point series will be decided. We have a HED wheel for the victor, as well as great prizes from Bennetts, Waynes, Splash, and Lakeside. A series champion and a Universe Champion will be named. Plan for a double elimination event. Bring your legs!

After the racing, stick around for Techno Night. Our favorite DJs will be spinning some loud beats, and expanding your musical horizons (Yes, I understand that what you will be hearing probably wont technically be "Techno" but it is a term that the non-electronica listening public will understand).

Now for the point totals.

Jon H. - 42 Points

Ruben W. - 34

Seth B. - 20

Ben F. - 19

Jon G. - 16

Eric F. - 14

Ken N. 13

Derek G. - 11

Katie F. - 9

Mike C. - 9

David N. - 8

Andrew S. - 4

Jim M. - 3

Joe K. - 3

Amy F. - 2

The Other Mike C. - 2

Nick Q. - 1

Jon W. - 1

Clark P. - 1

Craig P. -1

Joan V. - 1

Jon V. - 1

Curt K. - 1

Andy J. - 1

So can ya?

2010-02-24T02:27:00Z

How well can you climb? Can you be up in the saddle mounting a ferocious attack, and glance back at Jan and give him "The Look" - only to power ahead a kick his ass? (and by the way... Guess where HE learned it from)

Can you climb the wall like a tree frog?

The next question is… Can you do it, and still have enough in the tank to best other super heros in a test of crazy legs?

We will find out tomorrow night. Come to our final regular season Wednesday night Roller Derby. Registration starts at 7:15, racing begins at 8:02.

So how tuff are you?

King of the Mountains

2010-02-16T20:11:00Z

Mythical. Epic. Race Maker. Race Breaker. Those words have been used to describe the monsters of the Grand Tours.

Col du Tourmalet with it's average grade of 7.4, and muscle burning 10.2 maximum grade.

Col du Galibier giving riders the taste of an agerage 6.1 and maximum 10.1 grade.

Who can't talk about the tour without saying the words "L'Alpe d'Huez"? Ever since Fausto Coppi conquered the switchback beast in 1952, the average grade of 7.9 has punished riders.

NIBU would like to introduce the latest climb to this illustrious list. Col du Lorado. On Wednesday, Feb. 24th, riders competing in the final Wednesday night Roller Derby will have to face the Lorado. A 350 meter test of strength. The Col boosts a 12 percent grade for the entire 350 meters ride. Your goal - to make it up the grade as quickly as you can, and thus gain yourself top seeding in the nights racing.

The mountain climb will take place on a piece of technological marvel. The Real Axiom. A computer controlled trainer that will be set up to give each rider a race they will never forget. The climb will be the nights qualifying round, and we will proceed to the races after the seeding has been completed.

The 24th will mark the 6th, and final "regular season" race of the series. The Universe Championship will be held on Saturday, March 27th, at Lorado's. But the coming Wednesday will have participants talking for years about the "Billy Goat Climb". The Real Axiom will read out you speed, cadence, time and POWER. Ever wanted to know what kind of wattage it takes to blast up 12 degrees? Come and find out.

The top two fastest climbers will each receive prizes for their accomplishments, and have the respect of everyone in attendance (not to mention the poor souls who took part and were vanquished).

The rules are the same as the Derby. We provide the bike, you wear what you want, and be sure to bring regular shoes - as the Underground only rocks the toe straps.

Think you got speed in those legs? Let's test them out. Bring your guts - bring your friends - bring an empty stomach (or be prepared to empty the vomit bucket yourself).

Calling Wyatt Earp

2010-02-15T21:38:00Z

Osama Bin Laden, Ted Kaczynski, Pablo Escobar… And now…. Floyd Landis? The French have issued an international arrest warrant for Mr. Landis for allegedly hacking into the French doping lab working on his TdF blood testing.

Prenez-le les fuckers. Je la coutume reviens à votre pays shitty jamais de nouveau.

Check out the cyclingnews.com article - and while doing so, hum the Bon Jovi song "Dead or Alive" as you do. What a bad ass! If true, he seems more cunning than Steve Wozniak and his blue box calling the CIA - and ordering a pizza. Floyd. Who would have guessed it. This removed steel wheel wagoneer, has turned the natural world upside down. My god. What is next - starting a band and opening for the Prince of Darkness?

On a side Doper alert. Remember Ricco? His special lady friend who tested pos for the EPO while nursing their child. Well, he dumped her. Or at least until her suspension is over. "Sweetie… I will be back in 18 to 24 months. Promise. Will ya wait? Oh, and by the way... I can't pay any child support until MY suspension is over and I win a race".

I think Floyd should check her out. I see a rebound hookup.

This sh*t is rigged.

2010-02-11T17:29:00Z

Ok, fine... Roller Derby isn't really rigged, even though it bears a striking resemblance to a back-alley carnival game. There were, however, more than one deja-vu like scenario during Roller Derby V5.0. First there was blisteringly fast qualifying times posted by Jon H. and Ruben W. Then, super close racing between Eric F. and Seth B., a semi-final battle between Ruben and Jon G., and finally an amazingly close, all eyes on the computer displays final race. The final once again starred returning points champion Jon H. and 2x overall winner Ruben W. The horn sounded in favor of Ruben for a third time win, putting him in the overall points lead. Jon H. is still nipping at his heels, though; the next couple editions of Roller Derby will tell the tale. Visions of a sexy HED 3 will undoubtedly be dancing in the dreams of these two close competitors for the top spot of the points race.

Jon H. and Nick Q. getting ready for the Mr Universe Posedown

Roller Derby V5.0 brought some new faces to Lorado's this evening, and they cannot be overlooked. Clear Lake's own Jon Wolfe was suckered away from his smoke break and onto a bike during qualifying, and put up some impressive speed for a dude heavily laden with a belly full of Cancun's food and margaritas; however Jon's dinner made a reappearance outside in a snowbank later in the evening after his race. Without this sacrifice, we would have had an odd number of racers, which then forces us into doing more math with the bracket; something we struggle with from time to time as it is. Nick Q., an all-weather fixie rider made it for the first time tonight. He easily caved to the peer pressure to race, and cranked it out like a champ. Another guest appearance was Jim Miller, who jumped on a bike to take on his Metal Craft coworker Jon H. for an impromptu 500 meter spin. While Wolfe, Nick and Jim both lost their respective races, these guys put up great performances for being unprepared to race, and were saddling up for the first time. We hope they'll return next time and throw down with us again.

The Dear Jon Race. Jon G. (L) vs Jon W. (R). We had three Jons racing Wednesday. And all three pairs of parents didn't know how to spell John.

Seth B. (L) and Eric F. (R) battle it out in round 1... Again.

Hollering, clapping and many "woooooooo!"s filled the air tonight from a great crowd of spectators, cheering on the 8 Roller Jockeys spinning away this evening. The crowd numbers are great, but we can always use more racers! Missed this evening was 1x champ of the night Ben "Cru Jones" Fistler, who is still high on the points list, and the only chick bad ass enough to have raced every night up until this one, Katie Fistler. Ken and Andrew "Skinny Jeans" were also absent from the bracket, and Mikey Campbell is still out with fractured collarbone recovery. The Roller Derby season is winding down already, with only a couple more races left. We would love to see some huge turn-outs these last few times, so all of you that have raced a couple times, spectated, or just heard about it wild thing we do twice a month, come on out! Roller Derby V6.0 will be happenin' Wednesday, Feb. 24th.

Ruben W. (L) and Jon G. (R) face up in round 2

The World Championship race is planned to be held on Saturday, March 27th. More info will be coming. Please check out the photos tab at the top of the page to see other photos from the Derby V5.0, as well as any other galleries you may have missed to this point.

Click here to view the YouTube video of the Championship Final between Ruben and Jon.

Here are the point totals as of Round 5.

Ruben W. - 33 points

Jon H. - 32

Ben F. - 19

Jon G. - 15

Seth B. - 13

Eric F. - 13

Ken N. - 13

Derek G. - 11

Katie F. - 9

Mike C. - 8

David N. - 8

Andrew S. - 4

Joe K. - 3

Steve B. - 3

Amy F. - 2

The Other Mike C. - 2

Nick Q. - 1

Jon W. - 1

Clark P. - 1

Craig P. - 1

Jen H. - 1

Joan V. - 1

Jon V. - 1

Curt K. - 1

Andy J. -1

Hall H. - 1

Thoughts and Things

2010-02-09T19:09:00Z

A Blizzard? Must be time for a Roller Derby. Version 5.0 is tomorrow night. 8:02 racing begins. Will Ruben W. be the series first 3 time winner and take over the point lead from consistency king Jon H. - or will Jon take his first win, thus shooting him further into the lead going into the last two races? Or will Ben F. come up with a big win, to certify himself as a master of the roller (I hear he has been practicing).

Details are being finalized for a March World Championship Race. Plan for a Saturday, towards the end of March to serve as the evening a wheel is awarded. We have just one more Wednesday night race after tomorrow. Time is clicking away.

For all of you who have not partookian in our great race. No one yet has gotten hurt - and I don't see anything changing that. Unlike our little trip to Ray's where a few of us found gravity wasn't our friends. I got a little tipsy over on some technical log stuff (but I do have to say that I was one of three (in the whole place) all weekend rocking the clipless - and the only one in the Crank Bros Mixers).

Iowa City Don found a way to hit the back of his head on a pole - cracking his Bell (nice punnage huh?).

Marky Mark lost control over some jump boxes and put his mark on one of Ray's solidly built landmarks.

His shirt was slightly snagged on the wood.

And now for something completely different. The Oscars are fast approaching - and I am giddy. A serious man made the list for Best Picture. As quoted to me by a CEC Theater employee. Only when a film - that wouldn't normally get played right here in River City - gets the Oscar nod, does it have a chance of making the light of the projector here. Did I hear you say, "Hurt Locker"?

And let us not forget the Dude. I will wet myself if the "Man" wins best picture, the "Dude" wins best actor, and John Cameron's Ex beats him for Best Director.

Another film on my radar… Maybe we will have to look into getting ahold of the Cinema V in Southbridge, so we can actually show movies people WANT to see. I mean the real people. Not your mindless lemmings of people.

See you Wednesday.

Play it again Ray

2010-02-08T21:03:00Z

The Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Statue of Liberty, Mecca, Pyramids of Giza, The North Pole, The Louvre, Big Ben, The Amazon - I visited them this weekend. I jumped in my Jeep with three others, drove 11 hours, arriving in a blizzard, and returning in a blizzard. I have seen the 8th wonder of the modern world.

Ray's Mountain Bike Park in Cleveland, OH, encompassed the most amazing scene of ingenuity and cycling Darwinism known to man. The ability of the owners to take objects with seemingly no worth to anyone, and create an biking oasis squeezed between the finger of Lake Erie and and dull straight cement snake of Interstate 80.

A run down asbestos covered pile of brick, windowless - tarp covered forgotten rooflines of a once mighty industrial community in the heartland - proved that life can bloom in the most unexpected places. The sign posted above the door, adorned with a bike chain glued into a cursive stolen Iowa quote said it all… "If you build it, they will come".

We came. We drove through the night. Faced black ice, and countless jackknifed tractor trailers sprawled out like toothpicks dropped from Raymond Babbitt's box of makeshift pancake eating utensils. My fellow travel companions, Mark W., Jeremy H. and Iowa City Don. crossed over the Iowa border - and into the great beyond at 8:00pm on Friday night.

At 3:00am, and just shy of Toledo, we stopped to bed down for the night as the road conditions were just too treacherous to continue. We started out again only 6 hours later, and drove through the morning to come to rest at the Holiday Inn, just 3 miles from Rays. Our misrepresented "Double Queen" room was actually a "Double Full" or maybe even a "Double Twin" room.

What did Jimmy Buffett say about Warm Beer and Bread and a Holiday Inn?

The hotel scene in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles popped into all our heads when staring at the beds, wondering how two grown men would fit without bumping into each other in awkward ways. We got dressed, and made our way to Ray's.

I wont bore you with any play by play "and then I took the GT jump box 24 times, and of those jumps did seven 360's, eight 180's, crashed twice… " I will however give you my feelings toward the place and the trip in whole. Ray's can only be explained by traveling there yourself. All the utility and descriptive words in my vocabulary would never be able to explain the place correctly.

When walking into the building, and setting my things down on wooden picnic tables, and getting my gear ready, I was reminded of a ski chalet. Kids of all ages. Adults, women, men, even dogs and a cat were roaming the place freely. I took my stuff out of my bag, and laid it on the floor and left it there. I didn't even worry about locking my stuff up while I was there. There were lockers available, but the environment just led to trusting your fellow cyclists. A chill type of feeling comes over you will all the different bikers around you.

The Boys. (L-R) Jason, Xander, I.C. Don, Mark, and Jeremy

On my first lap around the joint, I do have to admit to having a bit of disappointment. My imagination had run so wild with the place, that I had imagined a Walt Disney World type of spacious expanse. Your mind can't imagine how big (or in this case) how small 103,000 square feet can be. Reality finally settled in, and I told myself that what I had imagined could not be created without using half of Orlando FL. I put that out of my mind and started to respect what I was surrounded by. This place has it all. The guys I was with, for the most part, are jumpers. They love to jump stuff. Matter of fact. Xander W., Jason C. (who traveled a day earlier than us - but met up on Sat) all had dirt jumpers. Mark and Jeremy quickly rented jumpers, and parked their MTB for the remainder of the weekend. At $10, their rental cost is such a small amount - why not do it?

Speaking of the costs. Ray's has to be the best value in cycling. I paid $39.50 to ride all day Saturday (the placed opened at 9:00am, and was to close around 2:00am as a large group of BMX'rs from Iowa were in town as well, and talked the staff into staying open longer). And all day Sunday (9am to 10pm). What a bargain. Halfway through the ride Saturday, I needed some food to keep my energy up. Grabbed a bottle of Mtn Dew, a Snickers, and a bag of Pizza Combos. I expected the sales person to say $5 (best case), and $7 (worst case). "Three Bucks". I was shocked. This place is here for the bikers. They didn't try to rape me for the little things - even after I got in the door so cheap. The hotel… Tell them you're there to stay and ride at Ray's. Your room is $74.01 (tax included). While at the park, order a Dominos Pizza. They deliver right there, and the staff announce your name over the intercom when it comes in so you can continue to ride until it shows. "Jeremy - your pizza order is here. Better get here right now while it's warm… Or we're gonna eat it".

Back to the riding. So. You want to jump. We got that. Go to the pro track. Ride over the GT box, and do your 360 and turn into the wall ride. Or go into the rhythm room and try your luck in a true bmx stunt track. The foam pit if you're just learning to jump. The half pipes, quarter pipe. Even the flow sections of the xc course. You want technical north shore stuff. Got it. Teeter toters, log climbs, rock gardens. Got that too. If your like me, and like to ride technical type single track stuff. Try their XC course (they have time trials over that course throughout the winter). It goes all around and over the whole place. Go work your heart on the pump track. Full speed riding and turning without ever having to spin your peddles.

When I said there were people there of all ages. I am not kidding. Eight year olds dude, 60 year olds. Boys, Girls, Men, Women. All types of bikes, all types of abilities, and all types of riders. Mom's video taping their 8 year old doing a teeter toter. A little 11 year old boy clearing the GT box. It was an amazing scene of biking diversity. Everyone I ran into was positive and helpful. The staff couldn't not be friendlier. And no one had a rushed, "get out of my way, I'm next" attitude. I have never, in my life, been to a place - even with half the crowd - and not run into one asshole. There wasn't one asshole in the whole place. I didn't see one person getting upset at anyone. It was as if we all knew how special this place was, and we all respected the fact that it was a great privilege, and not our right, to be there (Like I said, the place had a small town ski hill chalet feel - but when it came to polite handling of others - that is where the likeness went away) no hill ever was this "chill".

One of the many younger kids riding through out the joint. Flower Power and Log Climbs

Jeremy had done a jump on the rental bike, and bent his rear rim a bit. He walked it over to the service area (rear wheel skidding all the way), and within 30 seconds, had a different bike. No additional costs. No questions. No guilt (other than his own). Nowhere in this world would you have seen that.

In my opinion, Ray's Mountain Bike Indoor Park is a fountain of youth, religious temple, sociology experiment, heart stress test, and joiner of cultures all wrapped into one Mesothelioma Causing-Brick Cracking-Roof Leaking-Hall of the Gods.

Talk about trust - we locked up our bikes Saturday night, and left them there over night.

A little bird did tell us that there may be a Ray's II opening up in the near future in Milwaukee (to make our trip shorter) - but until that day. Everyone owning a bike, and enjoying the less traveled path or the bike/skate park needs to make the trip at least once in their life. You will never forget it, and the stories told between you and your fellow traveling companions will last for ever.

I will post some photos on the joint int the Photos tab of the blog. I am working on some of the video I took, and and hope to have something up soon. Please remember that this Wednesday is Round 5 of the Roller Derby. See you at Lorado's. Racing begins at 8:00pm.

This is It!

2010-02-02T14:05:00Z

We might finally get to see the movie, and travel there on bikes. The dude pulled out the nom. Maybe the local theater will take a chance on a slightly successful movie.

And the nominees are:

Oh yeah... Wouldn't mind seeing "The Hurt Locker" also.

And the beat goes on.

2010-02-01T20:37:00Z

I'm sure these two never dabbled in any form of chemical altering.

With Tommy Z's recent update on the B sample. We can't help but sit back and think of all the other higher profile doping cases that have unfolded before us. Just when you find yourself all giddy thinking about the BRAI comin' to town, all those of us following the pro circuit wonder what this summer holds for the peleton.

Oh, I'm sorry… We need that second place plaque back.

This one is my fav. The dude gets busted for drugs. Is serving his suspension. Then his Cross Riding girlfriend gets busted for THE EXACT SAME DRUGS. I am sure it is totally just a cowinky-dink. As far as the welfare of the her newborn? Don't worry, I hear her breast feeding child will be riding the Giro this May. A unnamed team director is quoted as saying "That 3 month old has amazing stamina on the bike".

Investigators found this photo of the new parents in their home - surrounded by "Junk"

And Finally. "What, me?!? Never. The Vuelta was won fair and almost square. I'd like to think of it as a polygon, a trapezoid, a semi circular blog like shape."

"Yes... Dr. Fuentes?... My plane will land in Barcelona at 2:00pm.... Yes, I only have one cary-on... Oh... Jan is picking me up?... 'Got time on his hands huh?... Ok. Will be looking for him... Sure, got it... He will be in a pink sweater. Thanks. See you then."

Go Nuts

2010-02-01T19:51:00Z

So, I get this a lot. Many of you may also. Sometimes it comes as a question, and other times it’s simply a statement. You tell somebody about a ride you just did, maybe in the snow or at night, or maybe in the rain. You might have ridden a long way, or it may have been a short distance while carrying a ladder or tv. Sometimes, after telling someone about a very enjoyable but atypical bicycle outing, they give a slight shake of the head or roll of the eyes and say it. “You’re crazy.” Or, “are you nuts?” Better yet, “are you out of your mind?”

There are countless ways to be called crazy, and many times it’s a form of endearment from a fellow cyclist. There are other times, though, that your fond recollection of an oddball or epic ride falls upon the ears and mind of someone who doesn’t understand, and in these folks’ eyes, we are nuts.

It really opens the door to ponder how bizarre, quirky and downright crazy different groups of people must seem to others. I don’t think there is anything mentally depraved about riding around the lake in the winter, on the lake. If you want to race your ass off at Roller Derby until you puke, that makes good sense to me. Do you want to sit in the house on a beautiful day and watch your tv? Bzzzt! Hey! Looks like we set off the crazy alarm!

My point here is not to split hairs over what really is and is not an acceptable use of time, on or off the bike.

I don’t want to get down to brass tacks over our spending priorities. I would like to point out that I don’t believe any of us are crazy… in a bad or self-destructive way; true, we may go a bit against the grain at times. I can tell you this about myself; if I couldn’t ride my bike, I would really be a mess. Without my bicycles and my diverse time spent on them, I could be diagnosed with several things from anxiety to dementia… restless leg syndrome? Yep, I’d have that, too. Lethargy? The Vapors? The list could go on for days. In openly admitting that, you could argue that myself or any of us have some kind of endorphin addiction brought on by cycling; that we’re dependent on cycling like some kind of crutch or chemical imbalance. Is that bad?

Physical injury lurks around all corners. You could fall on an icy road while on a midnight gravel grinder and freeze to death. You could trip on your bunny slippers and fall down your stairs and break your neck.

You could be accosted by a wino in Lime Creek in the dark, or you could be held up at gunpoint in broad daylight in a public place.

We all take risks, some larger and more apparent than others; some of these risks we take of our own free will, and others risks are just an occupational hazard of life. I refuse to see cycling in the same light as walking down a dark alley at night. So, go ride your bicycles like you mean it, and when someone tells you that you’re nuts, just smile and know that you’re so much better off than they think you are.

"KY in 2013!!!" isn't a reference to a sex lube political movement

2010-01-30T17:19:00Z

On a REALLY happy note for the national cycling scene... The UCI World Cyclocross Championships will be held in Louisville, KY in January 2013!!!.

This is going to be the greatest cycling scene ever to be held in the US of A. We are already planning a NIBU group travel trip to the race. This one can't be missed. That is only 1093 days from now. Otherwise known as 94,435,200 seconds - or 1,573,920 minutes - or 26,232 hours - or about 156 weeks from now. Let the countdown begin!

Who's comin' with us?!?

I hope my hero Sven is still racing in 3 years!!!!!!!

The Sad Sample

2010-01-30T16:12:00Z

The "B" broke our hearts. The collective has held their breaths for too long... Hoping, that just maybe, they got it wrong on the "A" - and Tommy Z would be cleared of any wrong doing and would be back in the race.

The "B" has come back positive, and now we wait to hear what happens next. A tainted supplement is believed to be the cause of the positive. Hopefully the precedence set for other athletes in the same situation - where the suspensions have been reduced by a year. This was not a deliberate dope, and we hope the governing body keeps that in mind when they lay the boom on our man.

Check out the Cyclingnews article here.

Maybe a year from now?

Round 4 - Over and Out

2010-01-29T21:20:00Z

We are on the home stretch of the Roller Derby. One month of Wednesday nights to go, and one Saturday "World Championship" night in March. A Roller Derby Champion will be crowned.

The points race heated up for the overall, and the night created our first double winner. NIBU changed gears (play on words - since we race on fixes) and tried a different qualifying process. Each racer was given the green light to sprint to their fastest max output - for any distance they felt ok with. The winner won a Polar Water Bottle from Splash Multisport.

Ruben W. set fast time with just over 91 KPH. That time held until season veteran Jon H. stepped up and smoked a burst just barley over 91.5 KPH to take the win and the coveted top seed".

Nine brave souls faced up for their chance of glory. The semi final was set with Jon H. vs Eric F. and a rematch of the Round 3 championship between Ben F (Rd 3 Champ) and Ruben W. (Rd 2 Champ).

Jon H. bested Eric F. in their semi, allowing Jon to move to his 2nd ever championship round. Jon was the point leader as the night started - based on good placing and consistency of results. The elusive Nightly Champion title has escaped him. The other semi, Ruben just nipped Ben crushing his chances to become the first repeat winner.

Just before the final, the point outcome stared to be figured. If Jon won, he would put another 3 points into Ruben - further distancing himself from the field. If Ruben won, he would pull within one point of Jon, making the race to the end of the series an extra tight one for the HED 3 trophy.

The race ended up be as tight as anyone would guess with the young Ruben pulling out the win. The crowd kept the cyclists excited, and cheered wildly for the valiant competitors at the conclusion of the race.

Jon still holds the lead on the series, which he grabbed on round 2. Ruben just one point behind. Last rounds champ Ben F. is third, 6 points behind Jon.

Here are the totals as of round 4.

Jon H. - 25

Ruben W. - 24

Ben F. - 19

Seth B. - 13

Ken N. - 13

Job G. - 12

Derek G. - 11

Eric F. - 10

Katie F. - 9

Mike C. - 8

David N. 8.

Andrew S. - 4

Joe K. - 3

Steve B. - 3

Amy F. - 2

Tony G. - 2

Clark P. - 1

Craig P. -1

Jen H. - 1

Joan V. - 1

Jon V. - 1

Curt K. - 1

Andy J. - 1

Hall H. - 1

The other Mike C. - 1

Round 5 will be held the second Wednesday of Feb. The "World Championship" will be announced shortly. We are looking at at weekend evening in March. See you in Feb.

Quote of the day

2010-01-27T13:49:00Z

Our favorite Mennonite Cycling Marauder, Floyd Landis, just made headlines for recording the fastest lap during the TT at the Tour of Bahamas. His time reportedly beat the course record set by David "DZ Nuts" Zabriskie in 2008.

Floyd had this to say about the effort via email to NeilBrowne.com.

"All that drinking is starting to pay off. I beat the course record set by Zman two years ago and I was on somebody else road bike with clinchers and no areo clothes. Take that F@*#ers."

His papa will be so proud!

Speaking of using someone else's road bike to success… Tonight is Race 4 of the NIBU Roller Derby. Wear what you want, come and race, bring friends to yell at you… Good times.

The State of the Bike

2010-01-26T21:16:00Z

Mr. Speaker. The President of the Roller Derby.

Wednesday night is just a day away, and we are anticipating the crowning of another nightly winner. Our President of the night. Our Cap-ee-tan of the point series. Who will it be? We currently have a tight race at the top of the leader board. Jon H. Seth B., Ruben W., Ben F. All could take the place at the top when the night is over. Jon H. currently holds the throne.

Wednesday night, we are going to change things up just a bit. Instead of having the typical qualifying round, we are going to have a SPEEDSTER round. Each rider will give a burst of speed for any distance. When you think you're spent and have hit your fastest, you can stop, and check out your max KPH.

We will bracket everyone out by the use of that KPH readout. The winner will not only receive bragging rights of being the FASTEST MAN/WOMAN alive, but also get a little token of our gratitude for showing some balls (even if it is a girl).

This is our fourth race - could it be our forth different winner? That is up to you!

Derek G. - winner of night 1

Ruben W. - winner of night 2

Ben F. - winner of night 3

Who will win Wednesday? Some of the studs listed above? Jon H.? Been oh so close. Seth B.? Ken N. got to the final round on night one, but pulled out due to a strange "pale skin - yucky tummy" situation. Katie F.? The only woman to race every night so far. Time will tell.

Come early, come often, BUT JUST COME!!!! Bring your friends. Bring your family. We can't let Ruben W. be the only racer that has parents in the stand screaming their brains out - Music Man Style, "That's my Davy!".

Speaking of proud moments. Check out Jon G. latest tribute to the NIBU. You know you love an organization, a movement, a cause when you wear the colors for life. See you at Lorado's.

The Goaticorn Lives.

Oh------My------God!

2010-01-25T15:59:00Z

This week is Roller Week! Wednesday night will be here before you know it! We are going to throw a couple of new twists in at you this week. Want to test your mental skills and your human power.

Just thinking about it, I get as excited as a little girl!

We are working on getting another out of town celeb to join in the fray. Our booking agent is working with a Hollywood big wig agent to see if it is within our budget to pull it off.

And what do you know… Noooooooo blizzard!

So, there it is. Touch my monkey!

See you Wednesday. 8:02pm racing starts!