What flavor today?

Cha ever think that your life revolves around cycling too much. I realized that without this cycling business I wouldn't have much to do. I ride a bike to work, which is at a bike shop, where I talk about, and fix bikes all day long. Even at lunch, everything I consume is thought out about how it will make me faster riding a bike. After lunch, work and talk about bikes some more.

When the work day is done, then I ride my bike home, and have a bite to eat before hopping on a different bike to go for a different type of ride. Mountain bike ride, road ride, fixxie ride, single speed ride. Which flavor do you want today.

After I get home from my ride, I call up the little lady and talk about what I did all day, then go on bike websites to see whats going on in the cycling world. I sometimes wonder when I'll burn out from all this cycling stuff. I guess winter is a good time to take a step back from the cycling world when there is 3 feet of snow outside. Winter has a way of stroking the fires a little bit. Man, I need a life

The Hobo Sock Special

I booked my plane tickets last night heading in Cumberland direction. Its funny because I'm still living out of bags I haven't unpacked from the last trip to Quebec.

I can remember when I was young and on the road with Matt Hadley, I was always amazed at how chill he was about travelling. That guy would find one way to where-ever, not having anywhere to stay, not having a way home, not much money and no set plan. It drove me crazy, he just had confidence it would work out somehow. Now, after this past year I've adopted the same mindset. I don't have a solid place to stay, only $200 bones in the bank, and no job waiting for me. I guess there is no point in stressing over it, those things will work themselves out and are part of the adventure. Honestly, I'm thinking I will end up camping most of the time in someones yard. My secret plan is to buy everything I need at Wal-Mart, then return it after a month of use before I leave for PEI again. I've heard of worse things happening.

Last night after I booked my tickets I was rushing around, looking for food to eat as I was going on a ride that i was already late for. I was grabbing all my stuff and freaking out and making things hard for myself. I had a sudden realization like that guy in the movie Office Space. Suddenly I realized I was the most stressed out 20 year old I know. I took a step back and though about the past few weeks and realized that they were solid stress. Between working, riding, future plans, and life in general I was being a major jackass.

So, I thought, fuck the ride, I'm not going to make it and it was only a recovery ride anyway. No big deal. I took off the chamois, and all my stuff. Sat down at the table and made a killer dinner. Then I went for a solid fixxie ride downtown. Enough to make it a sweet mind clear/recovery ride. The mood is good!

At the end of the 'ol spin, I met some buds at the pub and had a beer on the deck and shot the shit while the sun went down. It was the most chill time I've had in weeks and wiped the slate clean in preparation for the hectic weeks ahead. Solid.

Shake and Bake Brother

With funds tight, and BC looming overhead I decided to skip the bigger Upper Clements MTB race in favor of the Summerside MuckRaker. 8 hours of driving versus 1. The race was well organized and the course designers did a great job having about 60% singleltrack per lap, which was pretty solid. The problem however is that Summerside is a deadly flat place, so of course the MTB race was deadly flat as well. Not a hill to be seen all day.

The race went well, not a tonne of people, but that's how it goes. I think CPEI mainly uses this event to build funds for the annual Red Mud Mountain Mayhem, which has been going on for about 15 years and is always a great race. Either way, I busted out a fresh can of Bag Balm for some slippery slidey action and managed to pull away with the win.

Eric, of course, didn't want to pay, or buy a licence, so he waited in the woods until the pack passed then took off with them. He pulled out a solid 5 laps, managed to wreck his knee, and also beat a 12 year old girl. All aboard the trusty Fence Buster. Good Job.

Much fun was had by most and we ended up at DQ afterword, which is always rockin.

Today's ride was a very solid 2 and a half of climbing and the legs are definatley feeling it. PEI is beauty right now and I'm sure once the plane wheels hit BC I'll be missing the salty PEI air again. No Matter, it seems the BC schedule drops off after July, which is when the Martime season just starts to become interesting.

80's Dream

Its funny how rain has the ability to stop motivation dead in its tracks. The lure of getting soaking wet and cold all by-myself tonight just doesn't appeal, and I think I might take the night off.

Tonight is the second installment of cycling videos stolen from J Stretch. Last night was the classic American Flyers, and tonight Breaking Away. Man, I suddenly have a hankerin for some Specialized bikes and MacDonald's.

Check your Horrorscope

Not a lot of blog updates but tonnes going on. Its hard to get the 'ol blog action going when you work full time and ride 20 hours a week. Yeesh.

After a nice rest, a good week of Tour Du PEI action and a few days spent solid in bed from sickness I feel I'm back to full form. Riding has been great, and I'm taking advantage of all the bikes in my stable.

BC is looming overhead again, but I honest to god don't think I can afford to go out there. Nationals is in my BC hometown, but the only way I could get out would be to take on huge debt on top of what I'm all ready trying to pay off. I would love to stay around the Maritimes and just race the local scene as it seems there are a few interesting events going on. Races like the 8 Hours of Gore and a few Epics. I would love to bring out the SS to see how these legs fare up to the Maritimes contingent. Its one of those things where if I did decide to stay on PEI, and didn't make the trip out West, I would always wonder how I would have fared up at Nats. I feel I'm in the best shape of my life right now, and I've done well at the Mt. Washington course before, so it keeps tugging at my mind.

So many possibilities.

On the other hand. My good buddy D-rack is heading to Holland today for some Jr. roadie racing. That kid will turn some heads for sure. Keep putting to pedals down big fella.

Speaking of good buddies. My former BC landlord Andrew Brown has been ripping the Vancouver Island Cup scene. He pulled out a second place at the last VI-Cup and managed to pull second overall in the series. The East Infection Spreads. We just peak later in the season.

With that said I'm off for some coffee, and hopefully a good 3 hour MTB haul later today.

Thats Balla

I'm in a good mood. Loving it. Seems like life is coming together again after a few weeks of un-certainty. Just got back from a solid 4 hour road ride with that Derrek kid, who put the boots to me, 2700 calories doesn't lie. Yesterdays Rigid Riders youth ride was super fun, and mixed with a bit of pain train riding out to the trail added some spice. Watch out for some fast kids coming out of PEI in the next few years folks. Balla



The Tour of PEI is in town, its neat to see Olympic caliber riders walking through town and then going to see a World Cup race on your hometown streets. Its a good scene that's going on now. The past few days the boys at Smooth Cycle have been putting in the time watching and helping out the race. We acted as Mavic Wheel support on the Confederation Bridge during the time trail which was a very neato burrito experience. Once in a lifetime folks.





On top of all this, I just got a pair of Oakley Racing Jackets......the sunglasses I've wanted since I was 12. Balla.

Flat as a Pancake

Being bed ridden for 3 days doest help the frequent posts on the 'ol blog. The flu has/had taken me over last week and I'm afraid the most interesting thing I was doing was reading and re-reading old Dirt Rag mags that happened to be in the bathroom, mixed with intervals of stone cold sleep.

Death seems to have loosened its grasp enough to get me out of the house, and I'm on my way back to health. I even went for the inaugural ride on the new machine yesterday evening. She rides like a pearl and doesn't talk back. Butter yeah.



2 road races this weekend in 2 different parts of the Maritimes....but which one? The week is young and hopefully it will play out.

Some of us have been putting in the time at the Tour De PEI, more pics on that later on. Deadly.

Ya'll come back now ya hear!

All this week I could tell I was tired. Internally tired. All the travel, all the racing and all the riding has caught up to me. Sleeping in different beds for months called for a week of downtime of just hanging out with my buds who I haven't seen in awhile. Despite a solid hangover from last night I feel great.

I started working at Smooth Cycle again last week and so far its been going great. Repairs have been going out and I'm loving the wrench in my hand again. That place is set up well so the mechanics (if they want to) can shut all the customers off, ignore the phone, and just wrench, and not worry about anything but wrenching. I love it.

Riding for me has been picking up again. I took about 2 days off solid. Then started commuting to get the blood flowing. Slowly went on a few MTB rides, and then pulled out a nice long 3 and-a-half hour'er a few days ago on the 'ol MTB. It was tougher than usual when I realized my cliff bar was a year expired and was unfit to eat. So the only sustenance I had was a handful of wine gums and an expired Cliff Shot. No matter, it was one of those rides where you have to check the limiters to see where everything sits.

After my limiter-check, Cory Jay called me late that night saying I was in the Red Cross Relay, or the PEI Olympics as they are known. Cory's MTB'er had hurt his knee so I was in. Keeping in mind my 3 hour-day that day and the fact I would have to get up at 6:30 made me feel as if I had a rough day ahead.

No matter, our team, known as Team Speed couldn't have done much better. We won the overall by 22 minutes, won 4 of the 5 stages, and I managed to win the MTB leg by 6 minutes on a 19 km TT. No to bad.

So with that in mind the fellas and I had a bonfire last night to celebrate, and to cap off my mid-season rest week. Much drink was had, and I feel I've gotten it out of my system to push onto the next mountain bike adventure.