OSBMXR Video

As I'm sure you'll figure out... I'm no videographer, nor do I have the patience for video editing. Enjoy!

Old School BMX Reunion, 2012

I've had a long relationship with BMX, and like most relationships, it's had some ups and downs. However, the fact remains that for 30 years, I have loved 20-inch bikes. As a star-struck kid, I was in awe of the early pro riders like Bob Haro, RL Osborn, Martin Aparijo, Woody Itson, Dennis Langlais, Ron Wilkerson, Eddie Fiola, Dennis McCoy, and SO many more. I was fortunate to eventually ride for a living and call some of these legends friends.

BMX isn't the main focus of my life like it once was, but over the past year, I HAVE rekindled my love for the sport. The riders of this generation are completely amazing, but the riders of the 80's, the pioneers, will always be my favorites. Read More

Costa Rica: Friday (Viernes)

We loved staying at Mystica. The view, the food, the people, the vibe--everything was awesome, but it was time to move on to La Fortuna, and meet up with our friends, James (La Tigre) and Jes.

Before leaving, Jean and I went out for one more good ride on the local roads and dirt roads, which of course, meant more climbing! On our way back to Mystica, we were fortunate to cross paths with Francesco and Laurie, as they were heading out of town.

He was on his way to Tiliran and then San Jose, for his bike tour. We said our "so long,"s I made promises to speak Spanish by the time we came back, and then Jean and I had to pack up to leave town ourselves. Once again, it was a miracle I was able to get everything into the back of the BeGo, but soon enough, we were on our way to La Fortuna. Read & See More...

Costa Rica: Thursday (Jueves)

Jean joined in on a yoga class, which she said was great. Instead of yoga classes at home, which are often packed with sweaty people in a dark rooms, this was on a huge wooden platform just above a bubbling brook. With a gentle breeze, running water and plenty of birds chirping, she says it was very relaxing.

I did not partake in the yoga class because, well, I'm a guy, and real men don't do yoga, and Francesco and I went out for a ride. He's a super nice guy and quite an avid rider. Despite the fact that he's still recovering from ruptured achilles tendons--in both legs (about 6 months apart from each other and about 10 months ago for the most recent one), he was getting ready to lead a two-week bike tour across the country. He says it's a pretty mellow pace, but the roads in Costa Rica can make even a relatively short ride quite brutal. READ MORE>>>

Some Video

I mentioned in my previous post that the riding was a bit... well... windy... see (and hear) for yourself.

Costa Rica: Wednesday (Miercoles)

Time to ride. The two business partners that own Mystica are bikers, Francesco more so than Barbara, and we were able to get some tips and directions on where to go. One of the local things to see was a limestone cliff wall with petroglyphs from about 300BC to about 800AD. This wall was about 45 minutes away on jeep roads, by 4x4, so it sounded like a great riding opportunity...

Jean and I had been riding in this area one time before, and a small error in navigation resulted in us stopping at the bottom of a looooooong, steep, rough downhill, only to find a closed and locked gate. Meaning, we simply had to turn around and ride back up. When I say that this was a long, steep, rough trail, multiply your visualization by Pi. Anyway, we got some directions and set off. Initially when we were getting the directions, Barbara (and maybe Francesco too), suggested that we may want to take a shuttle back up from the petroglyphs. When I said that that wouldn't be necessary,  they each had that look of "okay, crazy people..." and let us go. We did take a phone number just in case we wanted to hitch a ride. READ MORE...

Costa Rica: Tuesday (Martes)

We woke to more rain. Tuesday was a planned drive day, so that wasn't too bad. We grabbed another great breakfast, again with jim and Cathy, before loading up the car. Yep, it was 67 stairs up from the front door of our room to the parking lot where the car was. I felt every ounce that we had packed while carrying the bags up. Damn. I didn't want to subject the staff at the resort to that kind of torture, so I did it myself. And besides, it was a good little work-out. Once everything was up to the car, it was an interesting puzzle to get it all in. The bikes, no longer completely disassembled, and now in addition to their boxes, were tight, but we made it work. 
Up and down over twisting mountain "roads" and a couple of hours later we were near the Arenal volcano. Along the way, we stopped a German bakery that we had eaten at before for authentic schnitzel, goulash, and a heif weizen. We also had our first official wild monkey sighting, which was VERY cool. Read More...

Costa Rica: Monday (Lunes)

Poas Volcano

Our morning started with another excellent breakfast and some great conversation with another couple, Jim and Cathy. Both retired and Jim his early 80's, they exuded a certain vibrance and youth that was amazing. We all loved to travel and had shared some funny stories. More on them later.

Properly fueled, we got in our little rental and made the pilgrimage to Poas Volcano National Park. This park allows you to hike up to the lip of an active volcano. That's pretty cool! Because of the elevation, the views are often obscured by clouds, but the wind moves things along pretty well, and it's apparently just a matter of a few minutes between no visibility and good visibility. We got some great shots, but to be honest, the crater really looked to me like a man-made quarry, although with a sulphuric smell. There is also a lake at the top of the volcano; that was totally socked in with fog. No views of Botos Lagoon for us.

Costa Rica: Sunday (Domingo)

We woke up a reasonable hour, made coffee, and vacation began. I finished up the bikes, we had an excellent breakfast but then, unfortunately, the clouds, and with them the rain, rolled in. Bummer.

But, not all was lost. As I mentioned, the resort is located in a natural park, with lots of things to photograph. They have an aviary with toucans and macaws, a butterfly hall, sloths, and jungle cats. We walked around the property admiring the amazing colors in nature, and then after lunch we made a break for it. There was a coffee plantation that offered tours not to far from where we were so took a chance on the weather and went on the tour. READ MORE...

Costa Rica: Saturday (Sabado)

Early flight...

Our pre-flight chaos was much less than normal. It really helped that I had the day before our trip off... I was able to get the bikes all boxed up and get all of my electronic gadgets charged and ready for travel. Actually putting "clothes" in a bag is the easy part. Jean, unfortunately, was working the day before our trip, but she had done some preparation. All in all, we got to bed at a decent time... usually we're up until the wee hours of the morning looking for language translation books or maps or I'm trying to upload GPS maps. I would have been even MORE prepared had I not also been required to spend a significant amount of time restoring my beloved Macbook Pro after a hard drive suicide, but that's another story for another time. Read More...

Adopt, or Kidnap, a Trail

I'm sure you've all seen the "Adopt A Highway" signs. This program allows companies, corporations, or even regular citizens to "adopt" a section of roadway to subsidize the costs of keeping it clean. It's a way for business to do a little "feel good" spending, and I guess it helps keep the roads free of trash. Similar programs are out there for trails too.

But, from what I understand, just like adopting a real live human, there's paperwork and applications involved. Rather than going through all that, I've kidnapped a trail. Essentially, I've taken it upon myself to groom and cultivate the trails out at Norwood Pond. (READ MORE)

A Blast From The Past

I came across this OLD video from a show we (Diamondback/Perfection On Wheels) did at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA, sometime in the early 90's... fun times!

2012!

Jeez, I guess it's about time for another update... Time does seem to fly, regardless of whether you're having fun or not. But I HAVE been having fun... that's what life is all about, right?

I've been busy, but it's all pretty much with stuff that I've chosen to do. I like my job, and I like the extra projects I take on. Sure, I get stressed at times, but I like the challenges. You're not going to get anywhere in life as a spectator, right?

Aside from work and all that stuff, the lovely wife and I were able to escape up to North Conway for a fun and relaxing weekend. As a life-long snow hater (yes, haters be hating), I've got NO problem heading up to "ski-country" to go hiking. I do empathize with the businesses that rely on that "white powder economy" (not the one from Columbia), but I'm all about the mild winter. READ MORE...

Marriage

Yeah, I'm ordained. Deal with it.

One of the subjects that often seems to divide democrats and republicans is how to handle marriage, especially as is pertains to "gays."

The right wing can be heard screaming that homosexual marriages will ruin the sanctity of marriage. And while, I've personally interpreted marriage to be define the joining of two people who love each other into a committed relationship, apparently, that's not enough. Reading between the lines, others infer that specific genitalia, i.e., the joining of a penis and a vagina, is required to maintain the sanctity. Certainly, while God (?) didn't spell it out, you can't have a loving relationship without the prerequisite genitals.

So okay, maybe they're right. The sanctity of marriage is being threatened. So instead of allowing dirty, heathen, gays to marry, maybe we need to be more strict. Why do religious leaders stop at prohibiting homosexuals from marrying?

Why don't we, instead, make marriage MORE of a commitment.

I say, you're allowed ONE government sanctioned marriage unless a spouse dies. After all, isn't marriage a lifetime commitment?

Could a republican, say, a serial husband like current leader in the polls, Newt Gingrich support such an idea?

What about penalties for adultery?

Could ANY politician support such an idea?

Unless pro-marriage homophobes stand up and argue for stricter marriage rules, I say they are all hippocrates. In an era when media weddings like that crazy TV chick with no appreciable talent (honestly can't remember her name and don't care enough to look it up) can have a multi-million dollar wedding that lasts less than 90 days, and the leading republican presidential candidate is on his third marriage after cheating on the first two wives, the problem is certainly NOT same-sex marriage.

Racing!

Yes, it's my favorite time of the year (well, at least in terms of the bike racing calendar), cyclocross season!

If you haven't been to our team's Web site (which would beg the question, "why not?"), here are some links to some recent race info:

• Baystate Cyclocross (Sterling, MA)
• Northeast Velo Cross (Londonderry, NH)
• Cyclesmart International (North Hampton, NH)
• Night Weasels (Shrewbury, MA), Part 1 and Part 2
• GP Gloucester, Day 2 Video (Gloucester, MA) and Photos
• GP Gloucester, Day 1 Video (Gloucester, MA) and Photos
• Suckerbrook (Auburn, NH)
• Quad Cross (Maynard, MA)

Only two more 'cross races left on my schedule for this season--already looking forward to next season!

Magazine Madness

It's no secret, I love bikes. I've got bike "crap" all over the house, and a big portion of that "crap" includes cycling publications. I can be just as happy reading the latest issue of Cyclocross Magazine or Dirt Rag, as I can be leafing through the pages of a Dan's Comp catalog. From Singletracks, to Adventure Cyclist, to my IMBA newsletter, I get plenty of magazines. I love 'em all, but it seems like the one magazine I love to hate is Bicycling.

I can't remember an issue where I didn't have a "WTF are they talking about?" moment.

Florida... it's still there.

I took a quick trip down to Orlando to check some things out.

First, I had to check on my mom. She's still alive. Check.

Next, I had to check on her house. It needed a little bit of work and I was able to take on a few of the more minor issues. I trimmed and cleaned out the front year and put down about 15 bags of mulch. I also replaced a shower head, fixed a loose board on the fence, changed some lightbulbs that were too high up for mom to reach safely, replaced the front door knob and lock, patched some cement, replaced some tension wires that support the giant screen over the pool and generally made critical comments on various parts of the house. I AM good at critical comments.

It was such a nice ride until...

Time Flies...

WTF. Really? No blog post since September? Shame on me. You know, of course, you can get nearly daily blatherings by following me on Twitter (I'm @BeardedBiker). But that's only 140 characters, and if you know me, you know I can talk WAY more than that.

So let's see, where did I last leave off? I had just come back from a few days down on the Cape with that lovely wife of mine and the in-laws. Good times.

When I got back, I was essentially punished for taking time off by working lots and lots of shifts.

I was also trying to immerse myself into the cyclocross season which is the only reason I actually look forward to the end of summer and the beginning of fall.

Before heading down to the Cape, I raced in the Quad Cross race. It was super fun and a great season opener, but I got a flat, setting the stage for many mechanical issues for me thus far this season. I flatted in the next race too, Sucker Brook. If you add to the that the flat tires I had on my BMX bike and my road bike, you can imagine that I was getting a little frustrated (first world problems, I know). I got my tires squared away with some new Michelins in time for one of the biggest races in New England, the GP Gloucester which spans the first weekend of October each year. On Saturday I had a good race (video or photos), but on Sunday (video or photos) a different mechanical issue reared it's ugly head. My chain guard, which is supposed to keep my chain ON my bike, actually allowed the chain to pop off and thus prevented me from getting it back on. Eventually, I was able to get the chain back on, but it was a struggle, and I was a the absolute back of the race once I got back in the game. Oh well, I wasn't going to win anyway, and it was fun to work my way up as far as I could. In case you're wondering, yes, this did happen to me before, and I have since replaced said chain guard with an e13 chainguard that looks fool proof. And, right after Gloucester's weekend of racing, the Wednesday night Night Weasel (video or photos) race was on. This is a super fun race with a great vibe. The course was pretty muddy, but I didn't have any mechanical issues and I stayed on the bike (something not all my competitors can say), and it was another race in the history books.

It hasn't all been about the cyclocross bike though... I have been on the mountain bike, including another trip up to Kingdom Trails (check out the video!) with my buddies Mike and Jason.

I also shot up to North Conway, NH, for an off road ride and was very impressed with the trails. I look forward to more exploration...

And, in addition to mountain bikes and cyclocross bikes, I've been trying to spend as much time as possible on my BMX bike. In fact, I've even tried to bring myself up to speed with the current style of riding, and I've built up a bike with no brakes. It's an interesting transition for a rider who started in an era where locking brakes were the coolest accessory. I'm old, and out of practice, but I still absolutely love riding my BMX bike. I was off for WAAAAAAAAAAY too long.



Of course, while I've been trying to bring my riding up to date, I still have fond memories of the early days of neon bikes and 80's hair. I've got HUNDREDS of old photos rotting in various albums so I've taken it upon myself to get the scanner up and running to save these little pieces of BMX history.

I've only just BEGUN to start scanning, but here's a good first effort:

Oh, I forgot to mention that I've been taking more photos. Yeah, in addition to my attempts at a steady stream of race photos for my team mates over on the Racer-X Web site, a group of friends and I have started a Project 365 blog where we're all posting a photo every day. It's great seeing some of the awesome pics my friends have been taking, and seeing some of the lame ones I've been posting, but hey, it's a journey, right?

We, in New England, also weathered the first big snow storm of the year, which came VERY early--the end of October. There wasn't too much snow accumulation in my neck of the woods, but some parts of MA got more than two feet. Damn. More problematic than the snow was the fact that the trees still had plenty of leaves on them making them more susceptible to damage from the heavy snow. To say that there were lots of trees and limbs down would be quite the understatement. Parts of the state looked like a war zone or like the aftermath of a hurricane. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power, and some for several days. Everyone was enraged that the utility companies were taking so long to restore power, but I say "hey homeowners, how about taking some personal responsibility and being PREPARED for storms." I know not everyone can afford to be fully prepared, but for the homeowners that CAN afford it, but prefer to spend their money on flat screen TVs, Blu-Ray players, and other crap, how about popping a grand down on a generator? No? Rather spend the money on an iPhone and an expensive car? Well, then don't bitch if you lose power for a couple of days.

Okay, I'm off my soap box.

Gotta go... gonna get a quick ride in before work... also gotta post my pic for yesterday AND today...

The Cape of Cod

The days were warm, but not very sunny.

While I've never seen a cod wearing a cape, I did just spend a few days down in Falmouth. It was nice to go down there "off season." I can't imagine being there when the place is swarming with people, but then again, I don't really like people, so the same could be said for just about anywhere. Jean's parents had rented a beautiful house for a two week vacation. Jean went down for a few days, came back to do some work, and then went down again. Once my work schedule cleared up a bit, I went down for a few days as well.

All in all, it was a relaxing time. We did a little road cycling, a little running, I took some photos of random things (Jean took plenty of photos too), I did some reading, oh, and I did my fair share of wading waist deep (or deeper), into cold water to dig up quahogs. Jean's dad LOVES digging for quahogs, and if left to his own devices, would still be out there. My first couple of days doing this were a bust, but on my third day, I had 20 before Del had one.

Vermont

I love Vermont, I love Kingdom Trails, and I am saddened by the fact that I had not been up there yet this season...

So, I threw the dogs in the back of the car, battled some morning traffic, and made the day trip up to East Burke to get my "fix." Perfect weather, perfect trail conditions, and no mechanical issues on the bike--what more could I ask for?

Now, I feel the need to get up there one more time before the season ends...

Antique Freak Show

Like many husbands, I've been dragged to my fair share of antique shops. It's in the marriage vows, I think, as one of the husbandly obligations. Anyway, I usually go along, "oohing" and "aahing" at the appropriate times, but my mind is usually somewhere else (on a bike likely).

However, Jean has recently taken me to Todd's Farm and Antique Flea Market in Rowley, and I actually like it there.

Hampshire 100

I'm not sure why I thought this 100K MTB race would be a good idea. I don't remember that last time I have put that kind of miles in on the mountain bike (I don't think I've even gone that far on the road bike this year). I guess last year at the Wild Cat Epic 100, and the Vermont 30, but that was a year ago...

And I *think,* if I recall, last year I had done that thing where you ride your bike lots and lots in order to prepare for an event... I think it's called "training." Yeah, training. I didn't really do much of that this year. Oh well, what's the worst that can happen, right?

Going back to Cali...

One of my very good friends invited me to his wedding. Then, he threw the curveball at me by asking if I would officiate the wedding. Hmmmm….  I had just completed the lengthy ordination process to become a minister (filling in some data fields and clicking "submit"), so rather than let all of that hard work go to waste, I agreed. Later, I'd reflect, what the hell had I gotten myself into?

A ride of meh-pic proportions

It was going to be a good ride. In reality, any ride that you make it home in one piece is a good ride, but there are certain factors that can make a ride bad; getting lost, having mechanical issues, crashing, getting swarmed by mosquitoes and biting flies. Independently, all tolerable, but when combined, I was pretty close to having a hissy-fit.

Summer = Riding

I've been trying to ride as much as I can with the summer weather finally upon us.

I do have silly number of bikes, but I can say that I use them. Over the past few weeks, I have ridden my time trial bike, my road bike, my singlespeed mountain bike, my geared mountain bike, my cyclocross bike and my beloved freestyle bike. Sadly, my diversity proves the "Jack of all trades, master of none" theory.

Read more>>>

Squished.

Yep, it's true. My trusty Element has been squished. Here's how it went down.. I was at work, minding my own business, saving lives and such when one of the security guards asks if I have a black Honda. "I do," I replied, and that's when he informed me that it was involved in a 7-car accident.

I just can't let go...

Techno-Hell

I DO love technology. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't go too far without some form of gadgetry, but sometimes, this stuff is just a huge pain in the ass.

Right now, I'm trying to get my TV set up. It's not so long ago when I remember having a giant antenna on the roof of the house that would sometimes need adjusting after some strong winds. Then cable TV came along and changed everything. With a connection from the outside cable to a cable box to the TV, we had clear signals and oh so many channels. Adding a VCR in to the mix, or, to really get crazy, adding a video game system (Atari 2600), would really be fancy. I remember taking things to the next level by having two VCRs in parallel to copy tapes and having external speakers for better sound.

Spain--Day 2

Sunday, we awoke, with alarm at the fact that it was 11am! I hadn't slept that late since I was working night shifts. Fortunately, Jean-Francios and Luc, who thought we might have died in our sleep, still had breakfast for us: more freshly baked breads, fresh squeezed orange juice, a bowl of cut fresh fruits, and sliced meats. Oh, and the coffee...