Sunday Urban Cross Ride-South End is Near

Yesterday I rolled out of the house at noon in search of this older colorfully dressed Mongolian lady in a huge black wool top hat. In passing I met her briefly last week and missed the chance to take her picture. I rode from the east around the southern flanks of the Jar and never found her but I did find a group of friends making good use of their time by riding around an urban cyclocross course in the South End not for from the Cool and Cool. The course was interesting with enough steep ups and downs to get the riders on and off their bikes a few times. I only recognized one of the competitors and one of the spectators other than myself.



Before the thing started there was a big air comp and red shirt won. Here comes Zac(I am guessing on the spelling) on lap 1 for the pass,

he made it clean with a whistle.

Keith the former ex messenger in fine form.

Him and purple shirt tie it up a bit but neither hit the floor.

Resplendent in the L'Orange Jaune.

Purple shirt just before his ride ending flat.

Lead rider on descent.

2nd place reaching deep.

Approaching the gap and over.

After leaving his flat tired machine and helmet purple shirt decided to run for it.

A positive effort indeed.

2nd place in fine form.

Text book gap jump.

About to remount.

The short steep is just ahead.

A Mootsless Team Dicky points out the line down the short steep that he wants to ride.
Smooth.

Husky Spoons Dane

We have no furnace but we do have over 5 cord(1 cord stacked=4' x 8' x 4') of wood that I cut, stacked and split earlier this spring and summer. It has been a bit chilly in the house without the gas burner so far this season with a record inside low earlier this week of 49F. There is a possibility that we will be without the unit until December 12 so there is at least one more indoor cold record ahead. In the mean time we will receive the BTUs provided by the efforts that have already warmed me multiple times before.

As it turns out Rocky the better than Great Dane really likes having a fire on chilly nights. This year old Germanic bred dog has never experienced the thick warmth that a wood fire provides. The other night while he was stretched out in front of the bone warming heat source Zoo Zoo the TWIT(Tiny Warrior in Training) walked into the room and assessed the situation. Zoo realized that Rock Star was basically laying directly in front of the fire where she wanted to be. So the witty little husky simply stepped over the larger hound and laid down over his mid section knowing that it would be warm, soft and cozy.
Rocky seemed not to care about the intrusion because they are friends and as a bonus the little white fuzz ball provided him with extra heat insulation. So, the friends spooned and enjoyed a toasty nap.

Sideways Kangaroo

Down in Wilmingtoon Erikachachacha has perfected her sideways kangaroo handstand, she is such a bad ass.

Veterans Day Statement

I made this picture while on a mountain ride in October Today is Veterans Day. There will be no courier activity Uptoon so instead I have some work to do on both my Mountain Bike and UN Montero. Here in Dooleyville Ida's heavy rain still comes and the water is flowing from the lowlands across a small plain 10" deep/50 meters wide across the road into Loch Dooley. It is an interesting scene, I will post pictures soon.

As a military 'veteran' myself who has been reading and learning about our present situation I am very confused with the general public's lack of understanding as to the "why". I have heard it a bit in between the college football chatter since Friday. It is not overly discussed like baseball and other insignificant distractions however since Friday I have heard more than once people talking about what happened at Fort Hood, the largest US Army installation in North America. The verbal transfer has ranged from , "Idiot" to "How could this have happened?" to the latest where people are actually wondering if he had been assessed by the FBI a year ago, "Why did they not stop him then?" All these generalizations take away from the actual true cause of the 'insurgency' making it to the heart of Texas.

This Veterans Day I am not seeking any reasons as to why it happened or why he did it or how we could have prevented it. Instead I am giving consideration to the now, the magical instant before us which has been created by a series of continuous actions of the Nation that I happened to be brought to life in. I am willing to take that look inside of myself and face what I am paying for and working towards. The answers that we are seeking are right there below the surface of our emotional transition from the lie to the truth. As hard as it is to accept learning as it intertwines with suffering I will continue to face it by educating myself about it and be willing to discuss the events as they happen with others smart enough to know that there are consequences for the actions of a Nation that perpetually turns their eyes from looking at it. For me the only way to respect the memory of veterans on this Veterans Day is to be as aware of the 'reality' as possible. From this stance there are no delusions, only feeling what is real as I take part in sharing space with it.

Beach2Battleship Tri Photo Dumpage

This picture is very interesting to me. Not so much for the quality of the composition or light but for the emotional transfer that it conveys. Three minutes before the start of the Swim I jumped into the starting block which contained almost 700 rubber people set on racing the Triathlon. It was an interesting perspective. 30 Seconds before the start I found my way out of the black polyurethane maze. I made this image as the National Anthem came to an end. While I was riding down the frontage road towards the start of the swim a rider rolled up along side of me. He gave me a hello and when I looked over I saw that his down dude read: One F'n Speed. No way, two SS road'ish bikes there supporting friends.

The American Flag raised on the beach.

The march of the rubber people approach the point.

These two participants discuss the prospects of fun that this event will bring them.

Check your watches, it's on. These dudes in the front row were all about serious business.

The energy faced the direction of its travel.

Go! Notice Jordan Moore competing in his first Ironman. He was the only one out of the mass that chose not to wear a rubber suit. I later found out that the bearded look alike was not Jordan at all. Apparently Jordan was back in the Jar with his hounds from hell attempting to be the most hated man spectator at a Pro Cyclocross Race.

The start of the 2.1 mile swim looked like splashing chaos.

Water entrance.

On the way off of the point I spotted the first of many over flowing blue barrels. Go Hokies!!

200mm lens: The lead swimmer and his escort.

I think I can see Ballsbury just behind the buoy.

No, this is not Jordan Moore.

This guy was blinded by salt water and the fire of the sun. Ouch, that looks painful on the bare feetsies.

Ripped girl.

This was one of the oldest woman competitors that I noticed.

Ballsbury out of the water in the top half. He was one of the smart ones who had feet protection for the 200 meter run from the water to the bike.

Ballsbury rolling, I should have handed him my pump and one of my three spare tubes. I did have a CO2 back up you know.

My Wilmingtoon submission to DieHipster.com was declined. Apparently the sight no longer exists.

In fine form.

Completely Aero.

Erikachachacha considers running in a Triathlon soon. Then the consideration goes away.

The ever present cops.

The cool thing about heckling a Triathlon is that you can give encouragement to those walking during the run. See that guy in the pain hole in the ground wearing white walking towards you? When he limped by I yelled, "Come on man, you look to strong to be walking, get running!"

Michael Jackson and Slash from G & R were there. Notice MJ's kid slave gravitating towards the protection of Slash, the lesser of the 2 evils.

WWII War era Battleship the USS North Carolina last used in Vietnam. The big 16" Guns apparent. Notice the Bullets for those guns are used to make a lovely fence. The scale is hard to see but when I stood next to one of projectiles it came up to my chest.

DO NOT THROW AMMUNITION IN THE PORT-O-JON

The run along Front Street as the sun goes down.

The Battleship at sunset from the Wilmingtoon side of the river.

Iswimbikerunman Triathlon

11/7/09 Beach 2 Battleship Triathlon

0635hrs: Just after sunrise Ballsbury readies himself with a smile for the prospect of human body transfer that awaits him on this beautiful Saturday. 1713hrs: After 3 flats and getting screwed by neutral lack of support from a local shop(read below) Ballsbury flies by 3 miles from the bike to run transition.

2157hrs: Ballsbury runs by with around about 2.8 miles to the end of his triathletic endeavor.

Cyclocross Schmyclocross, the real heckling goes down at the Beach to Battleship Triathlon. I have a friend named Scott Ballsbury who I met on a cold rainy day in the spring of 1998 at a mountain bike race here in Charlotte. Ironically enough it was the same day I first saw Dicky and Jeff Mercification. Scott and I have been on some great rides together and he has travelled with me to a very large volcano in Central Mexico.

Anyways, a few months ago Ballsbury called me to let me know that he was running in an Ironman Triathlon and asked of I would be able to come down and make some pictures for him. I responded, "No problem, as long as I do not have to participate in it." So I drove down to Wilmingtoon NC on Friday night where I found the floor space of another friend that used to ride with us named Erikachachacha.

0455hrs: My alarm goes off. I get dressed, brush my teeth and am out the door on my Fillmore within 15 minutes. I headed straight for the downtoon area where I found a shuttle in front of the Marriott Hotel willing to take me and my bike the 13 dark scary miles to Wrightsville Beach and the Swim/Bike transition area. Once there I rode over to and across the channel that the athletes would be swimming in. Over the bridge and all the way right to the end of the point where the swim would start, the sun was starting to come up.

0630hrs: I pick Ballsbury out of the crowd of rubber people, his status is good and positive.

I hung out on the sandy point as the sun came up to the north and east. Then I messed around by getting into photo mode trying to convey the visual transfer of almost 700 humans about to jump in.

0700hrs: They start and I leap frog ahead of the swim making some pictures as they approach the bikes. Ballsbury swims and is on bike out of there in an hour and a half.

At that point I ride his wheel for a few miles until I realize that this was his fun, not mine. I peeled away and rode alone the 13 miles back to Wilmingtoon in search of some Java. After coffee I rode along Front Street, then the cobbled lanes down by the water. I found the south bridge across to the Battleship and went over it. The very middle was sketchy because the road went to a screen and I could see the death water below while cars and Walmart trucks blasted by on my left.

I expected Balls to be in on bike and transitioning to run between 1400hrs and 1430hrs. By 1600hrs with him not in sight I knew something had gone cosmically wrong. Unbeknownst to me at the time he had flatted thrice within 20 miles from the bike finish. He had one tube and some patches but they were useless because he had no pump either. Yeah, I know but that is not the point. The first one happened just past an aid station so he turned around and sought the aid provided which was a CB radio call to the neutral support truck run by Two Wheeler Dealer, a local Wilmingtoon Shop. As time ticked by the professional mechanics showed up within 15 minutes and then took care of his flat and sent him in his way. About 2 or 3 miles down the road the very same tire went flat again. Realizing his plight the only chance he had was to limp ride backwards toward the aid. As he approached the Neutral Lack of Support truck run by the Two Wheeler Dealer was coming towards him. He flagged them down and was told that they would need his name and address so that they could send him a bill for this 2nd flat which would have never happened had they taken the small piece of glass out of the tire the first time they 'fixed it'. After getting his billing information they pulled the glass out and then sent him on his way again. How is it possible that you are billing my friend for a two dollar tube after you changed his first one for free that went flat again because you did not assess the cause of the first one. It is a statement not a question. 10 miles later and almost home he flatted yet again. This one almost crushed his spirits forever trying to figure out if he should walk in to the finish or seek another fix. So, as precious time ticked by he sat contemplating the situation. Another(he is pretty sure it was not the same one) neutral lack of support truck came by to offer their assistance only after getting his billing information again. Seriously. They fixed him good this time and he powered out the last 10 miles. He reached deep into his suitcase of courage and transitioned to the 26.1 mile run under the 16" guns of the USS North Carolina. Unreal. I rode back across into Wilmingtoon for the 2nd time of the day from the Battleship and proceeded to watch the running event come through town. The spectating of the run was good because the road course was an out and back. On each lap I could see him and the other runners twice. Erikachachacha came down with Shar while I was drinking a Porter on the curb. We cheered Ballsbury on his first lap and then waited for him to come back through on his final.

2228hrs: Balls runs through the finish of his first Ironman with relief that the day was over. I asked him if it was the hardest thing he has ever done and he said, "By far." However the next morning he said he felt fine.

More images of this blue barrel event to follow on the morrow.

Charlotte Cyclocross Top Secret INTEL Report

Blow Back and Consequences. The basic principle of science is: 'for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction'.


ACHTUNG HOFFEN:

A few little birdies have recently reminded me that there is a cyclocross race at Veteran's Park in Charlotte this weekend. Unfortunately I have a prior commitment to heckle participants in a different kind of fun club down on the coast in Wilmingtoon NC. The Beach to Battleship Iron Man Triathlon. A few months ago a friend who had travelled with me on my first trip to the 3rd tallest mountain(El Pico de Orizaba) in North America called me to ask if I would be willing to take some pictures of his iron effort. Seeing that he and I had already been above 18,000ft in a snow storm on a a sloped glacier(de Jampa) together I figured sure, why not. So, after work toonday I will be headed down to get some sleep before the 0400hr wake up call near the ocean.

In the meantime some key folks in the 'industry' have asked for an Intel report from the venue. Apparently they are trying to get their heads wrapped around the layout of the park so that they can set up their pop tent in a nice spot. The selection of this spot is pivotal because it will provide the team with good public exposure plus allow clandestine cover for the 'Team' racers to sit around drinking beer and telling stories all the while looking pro to the crowd of public main stream masses.

Top Secret Information:

The Entrance into the Venue.
Across the street from the entrance is this fine establishment. Wait, maybe this is a scary place.

A mile away is the Common Market, aka the original Rue de Grit. Here you will find tasty beer and the best deli in the Jar. Plus I have been told that the market has the feel of similar places in Brooklyn NYC. Yo, yo...Brooklyn. Stay away from the miracle eyes of Jesus.

At least one US Army full metal jacket will be close to you at all times. Be careful and do not get too close to the wire.

A field for cyclocrossing.

Pan right and you will see what appears to be part of the course or not.

There are tennis courts there but those are for tennis only!

If you get bored there is a playground.

Looks like a good avenue of approach

or wait, maybe the course goes this way.

A colorful pastoral setting with plenty of sloping landscape.

Sand pit of death #1 and Sand pit of death #2 in the background. Energy sappers, get ready.

You will prolly have to go right up this steepness, have you been training?

Then you will bomb down this hill right before

you turn hard left and come back up this one.

There are plenty of steep hills for your thorough enjoyment at this park.

That wraps up this top secret lack of intelligence report from the sight of this weekend's cyclocross event. Have a great time and ride on!