Riding Solvang

Keith Bontrager and me

I had chance to go to a Trek event for dealers to California last fall.    I rode for 4 consecutive days, it was wonderful. One of the days had a great ride up Figuroa pass that was about 4000 feet climbing over 9 miles.  On the 15 miles to the base of the climb there was a group of about 30 riders that left together and it was calm enough for about 7 miles.   The head of the group was Axel Merckx -- yes the son of Eddy and former Belgian National Champion.  Well, I held on as long as I could but after having a moment of "I can't beleive that I am on the wheel of Merckx" I fell off the pace and tried to recover before the climb.  The climb was gorgeous.

Attempting a Restart

It is starting to turn over in my brain that i need to get thoughts out and in a forum that is not just a journal and less invasive than social media.
 I like social media.   I don't seem to like to post there because so much is shared and little is communicated.    If i have some general announcements to the world i know that Facebook will deliver.  In fact get everyone you know to follow my business there.    

Here I can ramble and dream.    I don't know if anyone reads these but it is about the only record i have of some of the better things i experience.    Is it possible that in just 6 years that this will now be retro.   I am so 2006.  If you do read and you agree or disagree with my words let me know.   I like conversation about anything deeper than cute kittens.

Historically i  have written about bicycles, business, swimming, art,  and anything that catches my attention.   I have omitted family mostly from this  .   I feel like it is a privacy thing but i am not sure what i am afraid of, exactly.    That may change.  

Note that i consider this an attempt.
Ready Go.

Rebuilt

8mm bore with 100mm of tissue from a donor and I will be tap dancing by christmas. Hard to imagine. I couldn't tap dance before but I had a really good surgeon. Today,I sure am sore.

New Bike.

Finally i had chance to ride the new bike. Gary Fisher (trek) Sawyer. Here is quick list of impressions.
1-Steel. I don't know what tubing this has. I think that the quality of steel has been improving like other frame materials, but since it is out of the spotlight it is not really part of the conversation.
2- Steel ride. This bike has no 'spension. Between the steel and the unique bar it is a very smooth ride.
3- Gears are advantageous when the fitness is not.
4- Why do motorcycle riders insist on riding the trails that have several signs that say no motor vehicles?
5- Winter can make a trail that I won't touch in the summer seem like a good alternative. The trail was mostly dry within 24 hours of snow.
6- Swoopy-- really cool styling.

This bike may be with me a while. Steel 29er. I regreted when I parted with my ferrous.

The Acme of Cycling

I have wondered, what about the bicycle industry has kept me in the business for so many years? The answers vary from happenstance to deliberate. It certainly has no correlation to riding a bike a lot. It is not the pursuit of great wealth. Inertia is one reason. I headed down the path and didn't have anything that diverted my course. The most rewarding reason is being a part of changing lives. I have seen people benefit from bicycles. I am a facilitator. I help them get the right bicycle.

I have seen people lose weight, strengthen marriages, bond with children and become liberated by outdoor experiences. This last year I have seen one of the better examples of how a simple tool like the bicycle has changed people's lives for the better.

Bart (right) is a former pilot who now has Parkinson's disease. Because of the disease he is not able to fly, or drive a car. Because of balance issues he can't ride a standard bicycle either. Bart came into our store last year and bought an adult trike. There is nothing nifty about the trike. This is plain and simple a utilitarian vehicle... until Bart bought one. This year Bart has ridden this trike several thousand miles. He has done several benefit rides (diabetes, MS, Parkinson). He has ridden this trike more miles and for more good than the designers of the bike had ever imagined.

Bart met Devereux (left) and learned that he had not been out of his apartment alone in years. Devereux is a former school teacher that has suffered a stroke. He lives independently but needed assistance to get out and go anywhere. Bart suggested that he too get a trike so that he can run errands and get out of the apartment for a while. Devereux has found a new freedom. He is still learning the nuances of the trike but he is helped and inspired by Bart.

Some think that the highlight of cycling is to be the world's greatest cat 5 racer. Others think that it is one that can hop from one obstacle to another on their rear wheel. Some think that it is to ride across a great distance. Regardless, how a bike is ridden is not as important as how it benefits the rider. I am pleased to be a part of something that is benefitted for using a bicycle.

Wouldn't it be good if I could keep all of my blogs straight in my feeble mind. The last post was supposed to be on the the bicycle stores site. Well the gallery event was excellent. We had great artists, great food, great music and lots of people.

Gallery Roll was a Great time.

Here is and segment from Park City Television.

Very amazing group Oh! Wild Birds played that evening.

Unexpected Sunday Visitors

I woke up early today and hoped to get out on my mountain bike for a couple of minutes. I looked out the window only to see what looked more like February than May. So later this afternoon I decided to get out. The weather was much nicer and I know that Bonneville Shoreline trail near my house dries very quickly with any sun and any wind. So the ride was just ordinary. In fact I was a bit miserable. Maybe too much lunch and too much dessert. I had ridden about 9 miles and then less than a mile from my house I was riding near this rock slide and I heard some rock tumbling down. I stopped to see what was happening (I should have picked up the pace. My wife saw a freshly killed deer close to here a few years ago that was killed by a cougar; not the BYU nor the middle aged desperate type; all three common in this region) I was surprised to see two big horn sheep right above me about 50 feet. I thought that this was cool so I stayed to watch them for a minute. They saw me but didn't seem to mind me being there so they continued to descend this steep drop area. They are very agile and balanced. At the bottom of the slope they just kept walking toward me. I had this brief moment that I thought we were in a petting zoo and I had 25cent handful of Purina to give them. They came within 15 feet of me and I stood there amazed then remembered that my phone has a lame camera on it. So I dug the phone out of my pocket and got this shot. I have seen plenty of deer and birds up in this area but this is the most amazing wildlife I have seen this close to home. Thanks for the visit fellers.