Monday, August 18, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
SunDay: TwO CoGs No WaItIng.
Sunday morning we got up at nine. Feeling good, we made our way slowly out of our hotel room. Found the local IHOP and had some good breakfast. Then we patiently made our way to Santos. We parked at the main trailhead, this was going to be the Birds first time riding out from this lot. I wanted to treat this as a recovery ride so I told the Bird that we would take it easy.
The route was simple, take yellows till we hit the wagon trail at the Landbridge trailhead then ride that double track all the way till the gate, turn around and come back.
We got there pretty quick and in the first hour we were avg around 8 mph. Once we hit the wagon trail, the pace lifted. I had never rode the whole double track out to the gate, but it sure seemed like it took forever. Once we got to the take we took a small break to refill her water and then made the turn around back. The wagon trail has some pretty good climbs on it, and its around this time while standing and pedaling that I noticed the most God awful creak coming from my bottom brackett. I made a mental note, next time to check my chain tension before leaving for the weekend and leaving my toolbox at home. We were cruising good, but towards the end the Bird was getting her Butt kicked. The 18 miles we did at Felasco was hard on her, but at least after climbing there is some downhill to take the edge off. But, when riding Santos, its mostly constant pedaling and towards the end she was feeling it. Regardless, she made it to the end and we completed 32 more miles hitting our goal of 50 for the weekend.
We hit the Dairy Queen before we got on 75 to head over to Apopka to visit our friends. We had some Mexican buffet for dinner and spend the evening watching the Gymnastics on the Olympics.
After all that riding, the Bird was cooked. Me, with the exception of a little soreness in the Tendon behind my left knee I felt fine. Considering this was the longest ride I have done in nearly two months, I thought it went perfect. I didnt have the heart to tell Sandpine and Morrisson that when I rode with them on Saturday it was only my 4th ride in nearly two months, but its all good. The rest actually did me well and I feel stronger then ever.
Great weekend and a great time. Next weekend were heading to Panama City, and this week I am going to continue riding hard to get ready for the 8 hour. My goal, 8 laps.
Enjoy,
Laters,
LOS
I love when I have a great Idea and then fail slightly on the execution. Check the Bluetooth speakers on the bars. With this I am able to not only listen to music while my phone is tucked safely in my pack, but I can take calls at well. Where I failed was in wrapping a rubber band around the speakers and the brackett. I had to native rigg it and use some vine to keep the speakers from flying off.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Saturday Night: No RuLes JuSt RiGht.
As we made our way out of San Felasco after some great conversation with the Bird, MoriSson, Sandpine and this new guy Mike; Our next destination was our $45 dollar Ocala hotel room. I spent a couple of days looking at all the popular sites and could not find a room cheaper then $53 dollars and they wanted you to pay upfront. Well, Friday night I got the great idea to google for a site that compared all the online site prices. I found one and was able to get this great price.
We got to the room ate lunch, cleaned up and took a much needed nap. We got up round nine and got spiffed up and got a chance to check out the Outback Steakhouse.
The Bird and I have been wanting to check out this place for the longest time and the chance became available so we went for it.
The food was great, the 3 22 oz Fosters was intoxicating and the conversation exhilirating. Made it back to the room by midnight.
Tomorrow Santos.
Enjoy,
Laters,
LOS
We got to the room ate lunch, cleaned up and took a much needed nap. We got up round nine and got spiffed up and got a chance to check out the Outback Steakhouse.
The Bird and I have been wanting to check out this place for the longest time and the chance became available so we went for it.
The food was great, the 3 22 oz Fosters was intoxicating and the conversation exhilirating. Made it back to the room by midnight.
Tomorrow Santos.
Enjoy,
Laters,
LOS
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Saturday: ThE VagIna MoNocOgs
Monocog = singlespeed. And thats what the bird and I are out doing. We got two weekends left before we undertake the 2008-09 school year. As always school is a three quarters of the year long effort. That being said, these next couple of weekends are like our last hooorahs before the nosin to the grindstonin begins.Sandpine and I communicate threw the AIM program on the regular and he had told me that they were coming up to pre ride the race course before the 8 hour. He threw out the invite and I thought the bird would love riding here, so I figured lets make a weekend of it grab a room and ride both (felasco and santos).
Im sitting here now, in the parking lot under a huge tree enjoying some refreshments and music.
The course will make for an interesting 8 hours, thats all I can divulge. Me, Im feeling better then ever, rode super strong with little to no fatigue. Sand pine, Morrisson and the Bird all kicked ass out there. The rest of them spoke of heat but to me it felt perfect.
They are out there now doing the course again in the other direction, me, I decided on refreshments and chiillaxing with my lovely song bird warrior princess. Were gonna ride our butts of at Santos, no need to overdo it day one of a two day trip.
Stay tuned for pics and updates.
Morrisson
San Felasco has really big and really old trees. Im 5'8 check the tree.
Laters,
Los
Pick your size or flavor.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Thursday, August 07, 2008
YoU WiN SomE YoU LosE SoMe....
This is a sad posting for me. Seems all the cycling related bloggers that talk about animals speak on their dogs and their love of dogs. I think Dogs are cool, but dogs need lots of attention and time, both of which I am very limited on.
If you recollect a while back I introduced you to this little guy.
Rowdy, was a bad ass cat. Intelligent and totally trainable, he could have been a circus acrobat cat he was so smart. I think this guy down here:
Swooped in and took him. It was a Sunday. He didnt come home that night. I thought maybe animal control had nabbed him. But, after numerous calls, he was no where to be found. Later that day, I was hanging out front riding my skateboard with my sons and I saw one of these guys fly by at top speed. He was small still and light, he could have easily been swept away by a Hawk. Its very sad for me cause we all had a very special connection with Rowdy. He will be missed.
A week ago, while I went and grabbed some watermelon and chicken from publix, I came across this guy:
Some kids were giving away a bunch of kittens and I picked him. It's been tough going cause he is still very young and we have had to potty train him which has been interesting. So far though he is a good little guy. I got his name from a show called Avatar and he is named after this guy:
The original Mo Mo. My cats' full name is MoMo the Japanese Cat. Why that name, I guess he looks Japanese to me.
No dogs for this blogger, just cats.
Laters,
LOS
If you recollect a while back I introduced you to this little guy.
Rowdy, was a bad ass cat. Intelligent and totally trainable, he could have been a circus acrobat cat he was so smart. I think this guy down here:
Swooped in and took him. It was a Sunday. He didnt come home that night. I thought maybe animal control had nabbed him. But, after numerous calls, he was no where to be found. Later that day, I was hanging out front riding my skateboard with my sons and I saw one of these guys fly by at top speed. He was small still and light, he could have easily been swept away by a Hawk. Its very sad for me cause we all had a very special connection with Rowdy. He will be missed.
A week ago, while I went and grabbed some watermelon and chicken from publix, I came across this guy:
Some kids were giving away a bunch of kittens and I picked him. It's been tough going cause he is still very young and we have had to potty train him which has been interesting. So far though he is a good little guy. I got his name from a show called Avatar and he is named after this guy:
The original Mo Mo. My cats' full name is MoMo the Japanese Cat. Why that name, I guess he looks Japanese to me.
No dogs for this blogger, just cats.
Laters,
LOS
Sunday, August 03, 2008
LosT iN WekiWa
This past Saturday we made it back to the Wekiwa trails to take another stab at navigating their trail network. The first time we underestimated the length of the trail and got caught out late (park closes at dusk), this time we figured starting a little earlier would ensure success.
Initially it was going to be just my wife and I, because initially we were going to go out to Paisley. Well when our plans changed Magii and his lady asked if they could join and we quickly agreed.
I had my apprehensions at first since the ride seemed to be close to the twenty mile range in mileage, but I figured with enough time breaks and patience we could get the job done.
The ride was bad ass at first we rode thru the most buff and remote singletrack in the park. The part that reared up to the deepest sections of the park was pretty raw and technical. I was working to get thru it in the war machine and could only imagine how much work my companions were doing.
We decided we would break at Big Buck camp. We made it to the camp and here is where things got different. Everything changed when we tried to leave the camp and basically ended up lost for about two hours.
Eventually we managed to get back on track and hit the main asphalt access road and made our way out of there.
Ordeal and all we had a kick ass time and really enjoyed myself. Getting lost was a mixed blessing since we uncovered bike access to the nicest camp and some new trail that was unmarked that I can use Google map to explore further.
Rode strong felt good and got a great ride in, cant wait till the next one.
In other news I got my Mamasita back with all its greatest mods and a new ztr stans front wheel for the war machine. All this makes me very happy.
Till next time.
Enjoy,
Laters,
LOS
Initially it was going to be just my wife and I, because initially we were going to go out to Paisley. Well when our plans changed Magii and his lady asked if they could join and we quickly agreed.
I had my apprehensions at first since the ride seemed to be close to the twenty mile range in mileage, but I figured with enough time breaks and patience we could get the job done.
The ride was bad ass at first we rode thru the most buff and remote singletrack in the park. The part that reared up to the deepest sections of the park was pretty raw and technical. I was working to get thru it in the war machine and could only imagine how much work my companions were doing.
We decided we would break at Big Buck camp. We made it to the camp and here is where things got different. Everything changed when we tried to leave the camp and basically ended up lost for about two hours.
Eventually we managed to get back on track and hit the main asphalt access road and made our way out of there.
Ordeal and all we had a kick ass time and really enjoyed myself. Getting lost was a mixed blessing since we uncovered bike access to the nicest camp and some new trail that was unmarked that I can use Google map to explore further.
Rode strong felt good and got a great ride in, cant wait till the next one.
In other news I got my Mamasita back with all its greatest mods and a new ztr stans front wheel for the war machine. All this makes me very happy.
Till next time.
Enjoy,
Laters,
LOS
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
ThE cOmeBacK Kid!
Since I have a unique opportunity to start from scratch I have been tooling with a total body fitness plan for my recovery trail. Doing several different activities to prepare for the future events and self imposed challenges.
I am going to Skate(via skateboard) alot more then I have in the past couple of months, Yoga, speed trail hiking/running and calisthenics.
Skated yesterday for the first time in months, man being lighter in weight has increased my POP. I was skying. Played a little game against my son. We set up an old cable reel from my work truck and took turns jumping it and doing tricks over it, seeing if we could out do one another. In the end I took him when I popped a super clean 3.5 foot high ollie(jump on your skateboard) over the obstacle and he could not match it. Won't be long before he kicks my butt out there, but I will enjoy it as much as I can.
Tonight, maybe more riding, and Thursday my first crack at commuting to this job.
Stay Tuned,
Laters,
LOS
I am going to Skate(via skateboard) alot more then I have in the past couple of months, Yoga, speed trail hiking/running and calisthenics.
Skated yesterday for the first time in months, man being lighter in weight has increased my POP. I was skying. Played a little game against my son. We set up an old cable reel from my work truck and took turns jumping it and doing tricks over it, seeing if we could out do one another. In the end I took him when I popped a super clean 3.5 foot high ollie(jump on your skateboard) over the obstacle and he could not match it. Won't be long before he kicks my butt out there, but I will enjoy it as much as I can.
Tonight, maybe more riding, and Thursday my first crack at commuting to this job.
Stay Tuned,
Laters,
LOS
Monday, July 28, 2008
SOuNdaY!!!
Sunday I got up early and hit the urban single track and off road conditioned roads for a 11 mile single speed jaunt. Crammed that sucker out quick and kept my pace high. Focused on Form, felt real good. At one point as I cruised down some choice urban single track, I looked up and saw a flock of cranes flying over me. I stood up and hammered the pedals and joined their formation from the ground. For a brief moment we were moving at the same speed. It was sweet. After, a good breakfast and the beach with some good friends!
Ya that's right folks. Not only do I got ridiculous routes in my hometown and sick backwoods riding, I got the beach 20 minutes away.
This was my outfit for the day, ridiculous straw hat to keep the sun off my face and cheesy sunglasses.
I thought this was a cool shot of the pattern on my new shorts.
My buddy Magii brought his surfboard but the waves were not cooperating. Instead we body surfed and then took turns on a boogie board. I caught several sick waves Ala body surf style and later in the day, took the boogie board out and nailed a couple of others.
Magii has been following the same nutritional plan I have. He has lost 20 some odd pounds already and I expect he will lose 20 more before he is done. Lean and Mean.
The most beautifullest thing in the world!
Good times, were had by all and the day could not have been better. Excellent times. I want to get out there and ride as much as possible, get ready to make fight at the months end.
Laters,
LOS
Ya that's right folks. Not only do I got ridiculous routes in my hometown and sick backwoods riding, I got the beach 20 minutes away.
This was my outfit for the day, ridiculous straw hat to keep the sun off my face and cheesy sunglasses.
I thought this was a cool shot of the pattern on my new shorts.
My buddy Magii brought his surfboard but the waves were not cooperating. Instead we body surfed and then took turns on a boogie board. I caught several sick waves Ala body surf style and later in the day, took the boogie board out and nailed a couple of others. 
Magii has been following the same nutritional plan I have. He has lost 20 some odd pounds already and I expect he will lose 20 more before he is done. Lean and Mean.
The most beautifullest thing in the world!Good times, were had by all and the day could not have been better. Excellent times. I want to get out there and ride as much as possible, get ready to make fight at the months end.
Laters,
LOS
Saturday, July 26, 2008
BacK in ThE SaddLe!!!
I went out for my first ride in 5 weeks. Short but sweet. Set out to find Acorn Lake, I did. In the process, met a turtle and got rained on, how fun. But, I hammered and rode extremely well considering I have been 5 weeks of the bike. I am feeling very optimistic about the Battle at 8 Labor.
Enjoy!
Nothing but miles for a month, stay tuned!!!
Laters,
LOS
Enjoy!
Nothing but miles for a month, stay tuned!!!
Laters,
LOS
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
RocKsTaR!!!
Finally, after a month of being laid up I went out and drank copious amounts of micro toxins(aka Alcohol), ate a great meal and hung out with good people. I partied like a teenager, hung out late and really just relieved some stress. This past month was monumentally difficult for me. I am an active person who is used to going out and getting physically involved. I am full of action and for me to be out of the action for so long has been torture. But finally, I can see that I am in the final stages of my recovery and I can see the future of joy and freedom that awaits on the horizon.
I got up early today and tuned into the Tour De France. I am a Die Hard Mountain Biker so I truly only like to watch the stages when the race goes into the Mountains and today is the first day in the Alps. Thank God for DVR's cause I will not get to finish the stage this morning since the wife and I are going to go and catch an early showing of Batman at the Imax theaters in Orlando(if you don't know what Imax is, Google it for goodness sake).
I also spoke to Jeff from Carousel Design Works who advised me that my bags would be ready within the next week or so. This would mean I would have my Ultralight touring kit complete for the time being and I will be in a position to start using it. As well, the Black Beauty is in the shop, getting a Stan's Arch wheel built up for the rear around my XTR hub and the ZTR I had on there is being built around a DT Swiss hub to be used as a front tire for the War Machine. They are also going to look at the drive train, ever since that one sand slogging session the thing locks up under pressure, I am sure something is bent I just hope whatever it is can be easily fixed.
I feel much better today and I am excited to finally be getting back out there and doing all the things I love to do without worry or concern. Feels so refreshing..
I will post pix of my touring kit when I get it,
Enjoy,
Laters,
LOS
I got up early today and tuned into the Tour De France. I am a Die Hard Mountain Biker so I truly only like to watch the stages when the race goes into the Mountains and today is the first day in the Alps. Thank God for DVR's cause I will not get to finish the stage this morning since the wife and I are going to go and catch an early showing of Batman at the Imax theaters in Orlando(if you don't know what Imax is, Google it for goodness sake).
I also spoke to Jeff from Carousel Design Works who advised me that my bags would be ready within the next week or so. This would mean I would have my Ultralight touring kit complete for the time being and I will be in a position to start using it. As well, the Black Beauty is in the shop, getting a Stan's Arch wheel built up for the rear around my XTR hub and the ZTR I had on there is being built around a DT Swiss hub to be used as a front tire for the War Machine. They are also going to look at the drive train, ever since that one sand slogging session the thing locks up under pressure, I am sure something is bent I just hope whatever it is can be easily fixed.
I feel much better today and I am excited to finally be getting back out there and doing all the things I love to do without worry or concern. Feels so refreshing..
I will post pix of my touring kit when I get it,
Enjoy,
Laters,
LOS
Saturday, July 19, 2008
MobiLe Test a Sucess and my pain Cave update!
Well it worked. Obvious right. Other than typos look forward to using it like I am now.
Pain.came.today and woke me round 3Am. Managed to off and on snooze till 5Am. The pain is just annoying nothing like what I felt a month ago. Like the nurse told me yesterday I got to focus on the long term results.
Good news my hematocrit levels are almost normal meaning the initial surgery was a sucess. Doc said he never saw someone come in with the complication i was having; how cool to be unique.
More updates soon.
Laters
Los.
Pain.came.today and woke me round 3Am. Managed to off and on snooze till 5Am. The pain is just annoying nothing like what I felt a month ago. Like the nurse told me yesterday I got to focus on the long term results.
Good news my hematocrit levels are almost normal meaning the initial surgery was a sucess. Doc said he never saw someone come in with the complication i was having; how cool to be unique.
More updates soon.
Laters
Los.
Friday, July 18, 2008
MobiLE Blogging TesT and news...
Im laying on the couch propped up testing the initial purpose of getting this phone. I guess we will all find out in a minute if it worked or not.
Yesterday was not a bright sunny day in my universe. Had a requested, emergency appointment with the doc and the diagnosis was another knife session.
Had to do the whole surgery thing again only this time it was minor and so far i feel ok. Hopefully I wont suffer too bad and will be back on the bike shortly. I have a crunch plan in effect for the 8 HOURS of labor at the san felasco trails. I kind of threw down the gauntlet and issued a challenge. I got no choice but to get out there and see if my enduro experience will pull me thru.
Anyhow, the plan is to commute to work like 160 miles a week. For the mission I plan on putting some fenders, skinnies, mirror, bell and an aero bar on the black beauty aka the mamasita. Not only will it save me money(petro is expensive y'all) but it will help get me strong again.
Promise to take pictures.
Laters,
LOS
Yesterday was not a bright sunny day in my universe. Had a requested, emergency appointment with the doc and the diagnosis was another knife session.
Had to do the whole surgery thing again only this time it was minor and so far i feel ok. Hopefully I wont suffer too bad and will be back on the bike shortly. I have a crunch plan in effect for the 8 HOURS of labor at the san felasco trails. I kind of threw down the gauntlet and issued a challenge. I got no choice but to get out there and see if my enduro experience will pull me thru.
Anyhow, the plan is to commute to work like 160 miles a week. For the mission I plan on putting some fenders, skinnies, mirror, bell and an aero bar on the black beauty aka the mamasita. Not only will it save me money(petro is expensive y'all) but it will help get me strong again.
Promise to take pictures.
Laters,
LOS
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
2 in 2 out
Thats how far I am along in my recovery.
Doc told me it would be four weeks before I could be emancipated from pain.
Pain and I live together on a daily basis. Unfortunately, its not the pain from riding too hard, but the pain from getting violated by surgical instruments. At least its decreasing. At first it was extreme pain and discomfort. Then it was Moderate pain and discomfort. Now, I feel confident in describing it as slight pain and discomfort. I don't like Pain pills, hell I don't like chemicals, period, but I had to take something. After much trial and error, I have discovered that Excedrin works best. I'm going to write them a sponsor me letter see what shakes. I lost five more pounds and I am not even happy about it, cause I think its muscle weight I have lost. I expect it will take 1 t0 2 months of conditioning and riding to get back to where I was before the surgery.
I reckon, I'm going to start pedaling the war machine around a bit. I believe strongly in active recovery. In other words staying active and working thru it comfortably. This past Sunday it was finally time to tackle the lawn since I had not tackled it at all in 2008. It took some time and I had to take breaks but It got done, and I was proud of myself. Each day after work, I have set goals for myself special task and missions and I have been accomplishing them. Now I would like to go out and pedal some light miles each day. We will see how that goes.
In two more weeks I expect to be all better, and I am hoping this comes to fruition.
That's all for now,
Laters,
LOS
Doc told me it would be four weeks before I could be emancipated from pain.
Pain and I live together on a daily basis. Unfortunately, its not the pain from riding too hard, but the pain from getting violated by surgical instruments. At least its decreasing. At first it was extreme pain and discomfort. Then it was Moderate pain and discomfort. Now, I feel confident in describing it as slight pain and discomfort. I don't like Pain pills, hell I don't like chemicals, period, but I had to take something. After much trial and error, I have discovered that Excedrin works best. I'm going to write them a sponsor me letter see what shakes. I lost five more pounds and I am not even happy about it, cause I think its muscle weight I have lost. I expect it will take 1 t0 2 months of conditioning and riding to get back to where I was before the surgery.
I reckon, I'm going to start pedaling the war machine around a bit. I believe strongly in active recovery. In other words staying active and working thru it comfortably. This past Sunday it was finally time to tackle the lawn since I had not tackled it at all in 2008. It took some time and I had to take breaks but It got done, and I was proud of myself. Each day after work, I have set goals for myself special task and missions and I have been accomplishing them. Now I would like to go out and pedal some light miles each day. We will see how that goes.
In two more weeks I expect to be all better, and I am hoping this comes to fruition.
That's all for now,
Laters,
LOS
Saturday, July 05, 2008
And the Winner of the Great DiviDe MTB RacE is....
John Nobile. Won the race and beat the record by two hours despite the extra snowy conditions that plagued the route this year.
WOW.
Read this.
Laters,
LOS
WOW.
Read this.
Laters,
LOS
Thursday, July 03, 2008
And the Winner of the Inaugural Tour DividE.....
Matthew Lee, stay tuned for the official ride time and distance when its published, regardless, Amazing.
I would type a bunch of stuff.
But respect where respect is due.
Read this, its better and more poetic. Rock on Brother, I can only hope one day to be out there doing the same!
Enjoy
Laters,
LOS
I would type a bunch of stuff.
But respect where respect is due.
Read this, its better and more poetic. Rock on Brother, I can only hope one day to be out there doing the same!
Enjoy
Laters,
LOS
New EdiTioN
His name is Rowdy. On the way home from school this little guy followed my son's home and now he has become a part of the family. I like dogs, but I got no time for a dog, dogs need a lot of interaction. Cat's afford me the fun of a pet without all the care, plus cat's are automatically house broken, know what to do where to do it instinctly. This little guy by far has to be one of the coolest little cats I have had in awhile. He likes to hunt down stuff toys pull them out, and attack the hell out of them. He likes to nuzzle up and sleep with me on a regular basis and I enjoy helping him develop into a strong and powerful little cat. By the looks of it, this guy is going to be a forced to be reckoned with once he is allowed to roam. Very spunky tough and territorial.
Laters,
LOS
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
My new assistant!!!!
Ya I like gadgets, what to fight about it?
I not only like gadgets but I like a gadget that can do several things at once.
I got a new one while I was laid up and so far so good. My previous do all gadget was good, but the web browser was not HTML capable so it didnt give me the ability to do mobile blogging which is something I would like to get into. It also didnt have blue tooth stereo capability which is something else I need to have.
Should be a good upgrade to my rolling kit.
Laters,
LOS
I not only like gadgets but I like a gadget that can do several things at once.
I got a new one while I was laid up and so far so good. My previous do all gadget was good, but the web browser was not HTML capable so it didnt give me the ability to do mobile blogging which is something I would like to get into. It also didnt have blue tooth stereo capability which is something else I need to have.
Should be a good upgrade to my rolling kit.
Laters,
LOS
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