Throwing Down the Gauntlet

So I have been known to throw down the gauntlet. There has been boot camp, focused and disciplined, 12 minutes, red dragon and more. But this time it's for real. Prompted by the "new guys" thinking they are faster than me; the "old guys" knowing they are faster than me; my cousin weighs 40 pounds lighter than me; my 20 year high school reunion is next year; we now have a regional race team; and many other selfish reasons - I, Red Dragon, here by throw down a weight loss challenge. Weigh-in is November 6 at bikechain. End date will be negotiated at that time but a good bet is March 1. Terms are percentage weight loss. We do need a name for the competition so give me some feedback. Reward/punishment TBD. March 3rd is AMBC # 1 in Gainseville. Get your popcorn ready.

Red Dragon

BTW - that was my dinner last night. Carbing up for Callaway Gardens.

The Loneliest Number

This unusually early cold snap has given the feeling of the Holiday season. Only 4 weeks until Thanksgiving then before you know it Christmas will be here. Man this year has flown by. According to the “elders” in my family, the years do seem to fly by the older you get.

Now on to bikes. Trying to find someone to ride with lately is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Big Worm, our unofficial ride coordinator, is injured so he’s out (get better dude). Marko can’t stand the cold so he gets on the trails early; Wrecking Ball has turned into Mr. Mom and has had “domestic obligations” lately; Berg will only ride when/where Marko is riding; and who the hell knows what lil’ Ball is up to; and the Red Dragon, well the Red Dragon can only get a kitchen pass from Mrs. Red Dragon about once a week. With the time change coming this weekend I am hopeful that the crew will start getting some organized riding in. After all 1 is the loneliest number.

Sidelined

Sitting on the sidelines sucks! It's the perfect Tallahassee mountain bike season, and it looks like many of the fair weather crew members have come out of hibernation. Red Dragon is regaining his wings. Micro's attendance is growing. Even an out of town, old schooler was here this past weekend. It's killing me not to be there, but I finally heard from the doc's office yesterday. I've got an appointment at TOC next Thursday. My ankle has been feeling better, so I may even try an easy ride later this week, or this weekend.

I'm stoked to see the weather has the 'posse out en masse, and if I don't see you folks on the trail soon, I'll see you at the Sweet 16 Double Header, at Bikechain, Nov. 8th! Kent and Mark have been working hard to make the shop space look good, and there efforts are paying off. Come check it out, next weekend.

ps. Keep a close eye on Big Jim Slade, I think he has been up to something. Here me now. Read his later.

Stupid Bike Sunday

Stupid Bike Sunday was a new idea, and may not take off as planned. We had an out-of-town guest come in who wanted to go ride and wanted to keep the pace down a little. We decided that it was a good time for everyone to bring out their dusty bikes - the ones that don't get ridden very often. So, the invite was for (no offense) singlespeeds, cyclocross, retro builds with rigid forks, etc. Since we don't normally ride these types of bikes out on the trails, the pace definitley stayed down, and there were a few crashes and flat tires along the way. All in all, it was a good ride and good company, however, there are some sore body parts and bruised egos. Looks like these will get hung back up for awhile so we can get back to what we are used to. The good news is that we came up with a new saying. I can't remember what it is right now, but it will resurface, and it will probably be said way too often on future rides.

Lil Ronnie and Sister Amy

Ain't no sunshine when it rains

Don't really know what the title has to do with anything, the weather is perfect around here these days. Anyway, a new author here, just trying out the new blogging thing on this old blog. I keep getting an error message that saving and publishing may fail, therefore, I will not be typing much more.