Rum so nasty it could kill the devil.

So it's off to North Carolina early Sunday morning. I'll be offline for about a week or so, but I hope to have some great pictures to share with you all upon my return. I also hope to get some cycling along the beach and through the east coasts tallest sand dunes. I'll feel like I'm riding with coastkid with some of the scenery around the Outer Banks.

We're staying in a place called Kill Devil Hills. Rumored to have gotten it's name from the rancid rum that would wash up on shore from ships that had been plundered by pirates. This rum was so bad, it was said to be able to "kill the devil". The whole area is rich in history. The next town up the coast is Kitty Hawk, the birthplace of flight, where the Wright brothers mad their historic first flight. Should be pretty cool.

The Saturday after I return is Earth Ride 2009, so I'll a pretty busy week to say the least. I'll post as soon as possible.

Blog at you when I get back.

Kippis,

Craigers

Why we do what we do - Part I

There are those among us that have aquired a certain addiction to "adventure sports" or adventure travel". For many of us, this addiction comes after many years of not being so nice to our bodies. Ray Zahab has always said he was a drinker and a smoker - a club guy for lack of a better term. Than one day he decided to start running and before you know it he was running across the Sahara desert. Quite the change. Not only for Ray, but I'm sure for his family and friends as well.

How does one explain to their family why they get up at 3:00 A.M. to go running. Or why they have to rent a bike on vacation because they can't go a week without riding. How does one explpain to their friends, that they used to "party" with that they don't want to go out on a Friday or Saturday night anymore, because they need to train in the morning. And most difficult, how does one leave their spouse and children for periods of time, hours, days, or in Ray's case, months, to complete these "tasks".

I recently began reading "The Masked Rider" by Neil Peart (my favorite author by the way). It chronicles his bike tour through Cameroon in western Africa. I'm only one chapter into it, but something already has resonated with me and I'd like to share it here.

Neil writes:
"The best part of adventure, it seems to me, is thinking about it. A journey to a remote place is exciting to look forward to, certainly rewarding to look back upon, but not always pleasurable to live minute by minute. Reality has a tendency to be so uncomfortably real.

But that's the price of admission - you have to do it. One reason for making such a journey is to experience the mystery of unknown places, but another, perhaps more important, reason is to take yourself out of your "context" - home, job, friends."

Of course there is more to it than just that, but I felt this was a good starting point. Use it as you see fit.

Kippis,

Craigers

The Joy of Living in a "Bowl" Part I - Wind Resistance

Fond du Lac, WI is essentially in a bowl. One of the most low lying spots in the state. There are many disadvantages to living in an area such as this ( ie flooding ). I, however, have discovered a number of advantages to "basin living", especially in regards to biking.

The first of these is wind resistance. I've noticed that the wind seems to be stronger in the bowl than in the outlying hill country or even in the marshlands to the west. Having rode into this wind excessively over the last year, I believe it has given me an advantage in "head wind training". I firmly believe that a stiff head wind can be just as formidable an opponent as a steep hill. The difference being the wind is more sustained. I think this helps to build up your endurance. I'm not saying it's like training at altitude, or it can replace hill climbs, but I truly think it's helped my endurance.

When I think back two years, I could barely ride 5 miles and I was damn near 50 lbs heavier. I look forward to riding into the wind. Even when I turn a corner and the wind is so strong that it feels like Rick Flair just gave me a knife edge chop across the chest (Whooooooo!). Bring it on! My legs burn, my arms and back get sore, my face is red with wind burn (in colder temps), but who cares? Again I say, Bring it on! Can I hear a witness?

Kippis,

Craigers

Cedar Lake Ramble '09 Wrap up

Now that was fun! Thanks BC for letting me tag along. 39.1 miles on some of the better hills the Northern Kettles had to offer. Finnished it in 3 hrs 25 min with an average speed of 11.14 mph. Here's some pics from the ride.

Groove Family Cyclo Ride Scheduled for August 23rd

FINALY! After months of trying to get something together, the Big Cat and I have finaly scheduled a ride for this coming Sunday, August 23rd. I told him I needed to get something in that was #1: more than 25 miles, and #2: Had some hills to it so I could get my legs to a point where they wouldn't explode in the middle of Earth Ride. I think he delivered with a planned route from his house to damn near Kiel and back. He says it takes about 3 hours 15 minutes, but for my flabby arse we could be looking at a little longer (I think we're looking at about 50 miles).


If anyone's in the area and wants to tag along (this means you Jonny K), let me know. I'll post again after the ride... if I make it.

Kippis,

Craigers