MTB Goat Heads

Training

2009-11-08T19:13:00.001-06:00

I put together a quick training video for our next Stop-to-Stop ride:

Who's in for Cranksgiving this Saturday?

Tranquility Goodness

2009-11-07T18:32:00.001-06:00

Wow. 70 in November? Awesome...

It's been a while

2009-11-05T08:35:00.002-06:00

Helpful...

On a more related note, I would like to thank some of the folks that I've encountered out on the trail recently. Alex saved my ride the other day. I was at Tranquility Sunday afternoon and was adding air to my slowly leaking tube (Fruita trip, 6 patches, for those that remember), using my small hand pump. Apparently, in all my maniacal fury, I managed to rip the valve stem out of the tube. I have to confess, I have not been to a bike shop to pick up tubes since the trip, so still no spare. I ran around the parking lot, asking everyone if they had a spare. Not looking good. Then Alex pulled up. He had an old 26" tube. It worked! YAY! Then someone said my name, and I looked around for a second, to find Skinny D. He was kind enough to lend me his floor pump. Thanks guys!

Tons of cool people have been out, the couple of times I've made it to the trail. Hopefully I'll get out a couple more times before the weather turns.

See you out there!

PS - Did I hear rumors of a Goathead Christmas Extravaganza??

This looks painful.

2009-11-04T15:45:00.002-06:00

Remember when Platte had something like this?

She was probably distracted by the guy dressed like a garden gnome on the left side of the bridge. That seems like a serious safety violation.

Crappy Bike Lanes

2009-11-03T08:38:00.009-06:00

Omaha is definitely not the most bike friendly town, but I think it's slowly getting better. I've been commuting to work for two and a half years now and I've noticed small improvements in people's attitude toward cyclists and of course we have new bike lanes being developed (slowly).

I guess it could always be worse........

Chuck likes Lumpy vs Lumpy

2009-10-29T09:22:00.002-05:00

Winter Training

2009-10-27T21:03:00.000-05:00

Withdrawls

2009-10-26T11:31:00.003-05:00

The last few weeks have been HORRIBLE for my mileage count. Since labor day weekend, I think I have ridden on dirt 4 (maybe 5 times). Road rides haven't been much more than that either. Because of rain or my schedule I haven't even been able to ride to work.
J.A. and did enjoy "the Bellevue Loop" on Saturday. Of course right as we got to the toll bridge the rain started and was pretty steady until we came around the west side of Offut.
I would love just one more good day on the dirt.

Drop into a favela...

2009-10-09T15:15:00.000-05:00

Bike Nirvana

2009-10-08T08:16:00.002-05:00

30 miles + 50 Wings + 10 Donuts = Enlightenment

STOP!

2009-10-08T07:03:00.003-05:00

Wing Stop: Thank you to all the chickens who sacrificed their wings for our pleasure.

Donut Stop: As you can see, Joe and Jess had a very intense staring contest. This went on for hours.

No actual biking photos were taken, so it's up to you whether you believe any real biking actually took place, or if we just dressed up and drove around Omaha.

RUN!!!!

2009-10-06T16:11:00.003-05:00

Run for your lives! It's a Stop-To-Stop ride!!!!

Kanye West disses MTB Omaha

2009-09-21T08:51:00.001-05:00

He's such a jerk.

GREAT DAY

2009-09-19T21:48:00.002-05:00

What a nice and surprising Saturday. Rode Manawa in the morning with the mrs. and then met up with 3 other Goatheads for a couple laps at Tranquility. Four of us haven't been together since CO. JA, JC, The A-train, and myself had fun. Too bad Lumpy watched Big Red or turn out would have been the best all year. J.C. and myself managed to remain unscathed while J.A.'s hand met a tree and Austin's body met the dirt.
Maybe, just maybe 5 of us can make a trip to either Lewis and Clark or Platte.

This isn't going to end well.......

2009-09-14T21:13:00.001-05:00

The Power of a Single Heckler on a Political Speech

2009-09-11T22:38:00.002-05:00

With the 2010 election campaigns starting to gearing up, just a note to hopeful candidates to stay off Lumpy's yard while stumping. He doesn't take kindly to your type.

Punctuation is your friend...

2009-09-11T15:04:00.000-05:00

Love Your Commute...

2009-09-10T14:32:00.002-05:00

Danny MacAskill's commute to work is very similar to mine.

Failures and Successes

2009-09-07T12:23:00.004-05:00

Here are some of the failures and successes from our recent attempt at a 24 hour mountain bike race.

Failure - Our support team got sick and/or had scheduling conflicts.

Failure - Jeff injured his back in a cage match 3 days before the race. We were down to 3 riders.

Failure - Our "Goathead-for-a-day" competition failed to garner a 4th rider. We had several leads but they all fell through in the end. 3 riders would mean more laps and less down time.....

Success - Only taking three meant one vehicle and more room for Lowel's king-size "Select-Comfort" bed inside the tent.

Success - The weather forecast was stellar, with the exception of fog, but I'm sure fog won't affect things too much........

Failure - Jon gets called out by the race organizers in front of everyone at the pre-race meeting for being a Nagging-Nancy. Lowell and I actually consider this a success...... It was hilarious!

Failure - The race starts with a 50 yard sprint to bikes. We agree Jon should be our first rider since he's got the mental fortitude needed for cut-throat competition........... After the gun, Jon quickly gets bewildered by the flurry of activity. Forgetting where he put his bike, he starts zig-zagging through the crowd like a drunk sorority girl. After finding his bike, Jon attempts to mount and catch the field. Somehow, Jon misses the bike completely and crashes to the ground. He picks himself up and slowly throws his leg over and shakily rides off. The crowd lets out a patronizing cheer....... Team Goathead is in last place.

Success - After 2 full rotations of riders, Team Goathead is in the hunt and feeling good.

Failure - The fog rolls in. This is the thickest fog I have ever seen. Here's a picture of Lowell returning after a lap around midnight.

Not only did the fog make for some sketchy night-time riding, but it made everything wet, and I mean everything. There was no way to keep dry. The inside of the tent was as wet as the outside.

Success - Our game plan was to keep a rider out on the trail at all times. Some teams went out and threw down blazing fast lap times at the beginning, but faded as the night wore on. Our slow and steady method paid off.

Success - We turned a 24 hour mountain bike race into a 22 hour race. By 10 am, the leader-board made it clear that we couldn't catch the team ahead of us, and the team behind us couldn't catch us. Our fate was sealed. We sat back and let the sun dry us and our gear off.

Success - Team Goathead placed 3rd in our division, and 7th place overall. We left with some pretty nice swag.

On the way back home, we all agreed that next year we need to compete in the 4 man division. We just weren't sure who the 4th man would be. Jeff would be a good teammate, but he's too focused on cage fighting......... When I got home I realized who the obvious choice would be. He throws down lap after lap and never gets tired. Meet Broheim...

For Future Reference....

2009-09-02T08:49:00.003-05:00

".. And I began imagining what it would be like to be run down(by a car), and if that were to occur someone might say 'at least he was doing something that he loved'..

.....I began reflecting on that sentiment, and just how much crap it is... I'd like to go on record here and say that if I do ever meet the underside of a vehicle while riding a bike, I would prefer that no one utter those words, because as I see it, what I was doing when I was killed was being hit by a car, and I don't love that."

- Stevil Kinevil

The Vortex of Terror

2009-08-31T21:11:00.002-05:00

The upcoming 3 day weekend should afford me enough time to accomplish two significant tasks.

Task one: Survive the 24 hours of 7 Oaks.

Task two: Construct one of these in my backyard.

My Little Boy!

2009-08-31T15:01:00.004-05:00

Hatin' on cyclists

2009-08-31T09:04:00.001-05:00

It amazes me how many people seem ignorant of the law for cyclists. I remember as a youngin' riding my bike on the road, and getting bottles thrown at me telling me to get on the sidewalk. Actually, I guess the last two sentences answer each other.

She crossed the line......

2009-08-28T15:48:00.001-05:00

..... You can't throw away a man's bacon and expect him to stay. I see nothing wrong with this kids behavior.

"THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS"

2009-08-28T13:17:00.001-05:00

Best movie title ever........