12/30/04: Happy New Year!

Posted Dec 29, 2004
2,220

Countdown to the 2005 season with a 2004 Best-of!

2004 Best Of:

###

I can't believe that Scott let me do this for a year. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed cranking it out.

I look forward to riding, racing and getting more of the Iowa racing scoopy to send out in 2005.

Personally, 2004 was a year of the highest highs and the lowest lows. We welcomed our little girl into our family and watched two of our family pass away. It was understood without saying that riding a bike is secondary to family.

Enjoy the New Year.

###

Best Bike Ride: The first ride Mandy and I took with Madeline on Sunday, July 25 on the Sommerset. Little girl dug it.

Best Epic Ride: Riding gravel north of Altoona with Fast-Lane in November in the sh-sh-shivering cold.

Best Beer: Definitely Boule' '46. Damn fine. No doubt about it.

Best Personal Bike Race: Overland Park Crit. The race of 'could have - would have'. I hadn't ridden much, and crapped out the day before at Cliff Drive. Sad enough, I even crashed by myself on the switchbacks.

However, on Sunday, I was inspired and closed all the gaps on the back corners to move up mid-pack for the finish.

Funny thing was the mental block that kept me from going to the front and working for the win. I need to work on that one.

Best Bike Race Watched: SFGP/T-Mobile. Swear that I'll never see anything like watching Horner whip Dionne past J-Mac on the Taylor Street Hill with the Anderson & Lambis. Damn Horner had a smirk on his mug doing it all.

Best Bike Part: The 1x1 spacer. Make any bike a 1x1 with this little doo-dad.

Best Tunes: Jack Johnson's September Sessions. This dvd-documentary's background tunes take the lead.

Best Movie: Kill Bill II is the best of alltime... but I've got to give it to the boys at Cycle-Smart. That 2004 NE Champs Series cx dvd that is pretty fine.

Best Clothing: I'm now into the rubs. Assos Chamois Creme and XX/XXX Warming Oils. Damn. I can't think of anything to make the ride snappier.

Best Tool: Anything that can open a bottle of beer for me.

Best Workout: Anything with my Karate Monkey 1x1 that involves grrrr-avel.

Best O-Dawg Story: We weren't able to race the last Ewing Park Cyclocross, so Mikey picked us up a case of beer. We pounded beers and handed out the taunts like champs. Sad part was I think we enjoyed drinking more than racing.

###

RACE JUNK:

Roller Races start next weekend ~ if you haven't been spending any time at all chewing on your bars this winter, here's a great place to start. Greg Harper, Harper's Cyclery in Muscatine, runs these kickers of a workout. Just watch out so you don't get your tongue wrapped up in the turbos!

KENT PARK SIGN-UP: If you want to make sure you can take laps at Iowa's largest open-entry event promoted by Two Bee, sign up now because the park is limited to 100 racers. The field has grown to over 120 the past few years, so it is time to pay up! Remember, it is for charity, too!