Crosswalking Crusade

God Damn you netflix

2010-05-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

Jesus H Christ, first they get you with the month free and you're hooked for f'ing life. Shit is like crack but I guess I have watched some pretty good movies lately, one of the weirder ones being Mullholland Dr. by David Lynch. I have never been so unexpectently terrified and confused in the same sitting. Maybe his stuff gets better with age, who knows...

The screenplay is progressing which is really rewarding to report. I get ideas now and then and for the msot part they're somehow managing to come together. More to come when I progress further.

School almost over? Indeed

Craziest weather since I've been in Portland

2010-05-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

To all out there who have been in Portland to experience the weather this week I applaud you. It has truly been one of the weirdest weeks of my life and a huge challenge simply because of the fact that I'll wake up to bright sunshine, have it change into downpour, then go back to sunshine, then hail, and then go back to down pouring. This week is definitely up there with 107 degree day 2009, and snow day 2008.

Meanwhile as the weather continues to go through manic depression its also done me the kindness of dragging me along with it. I'm not lying when I say some of the days this week I've literally woken up and just said to myself "fuck it, there's no way this is going to be fun" and much to my expectation it usually hasn't been, however, like all dark times I'm sure this one will pass. At this point it's just a matter of when...

Writing has been up and down lately but I'm happy to say that I am chugging along through the screenplay. Some days are better than others but at this point I've got around 40 pages and considering that this is more than I've written in my entire life I'm pretty happy. I'm glad I have that drive to always want more and never be satisfied but sometime it nice to sit back and reflect and what you've accomplished. I know this will get made one day and when it does I hope everyone who sees it can somehow cope with what some of the things I've described. I feel like I get super specific sometimes but as long as that overall feeling comes through I'll be happy.

I'd really like to meet some more cool film people in Portland, where they are, Im not sure.

Danny

Conflict

2010-04-06T21:19:00.001-07:00

Normally when I write these things I have a general idea of what I want to convey and I can only hope my use of the English language can capture if not just a piece of what I'm really feeling. Today was weird to say the least. After over a year of inconsistencies with a previous landlord everything finally came to a screaching halt in small claims court today and surprisingly enough it wasn't actually in the court but rather mediation services. It was deafening, scary, blind, and most principally full of inconsistancies from both sides.

One part of me wants to believe that I don't have to go through life marking down every single detail with a recorder hanging around my neck all the times and yet our law system encourages that ad nausem. I can be a pretty crass person sometimes but when your problem is a person and that person is sitting right in front of you its hard to call them out even if you believe it more than anything else.

Things went well today but I somehow feel that it shouldn't even get this far in the first place.

Its very frustrating at times

I suppose thats my bad that I didn't realize it was an El Nino year

2010-03-31T22:01:00.001-07:00

I just KNEW that somethign was fishy when it was 55 and sunny in feburary. Here I am sitting to myself saying " gee, I usually hate this month, what a pleasent surprise " and then like a sock full of quarters to the dome BOOM and it starts to rain forever. Funny things to look back on. I fancy this week to be like when I get caffine overdoses and all of sudden wonder why I'm so depressed only to realize that I accidentally drank too much coffee. Again, funny things.

Court case is less than a week away. By next week I will either be potentially 700$ richer or...well...You know I'd rather not think about that.

Stay positive, 700$: Assload of food/One Ultegra groupset

Cheers

Rain lethargy

2010-03-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

Maybe its just the tasty burger that I just ate or the persistent rain or the fact that I'm recovering from a race weekend but I for real am soaring in the clouds. Not in a dream sequence cathartic kind of way but more so as if I were an airplane caught in turbulence.

When basic brain functions stop its best to wither let go or fight it into obscurity. In this case I don't know which way to go.

Lets see...

2010-03-22T11:54:00.001-07:00

A great weekend has just passed and I now find myself thoroughly buried in spring break shenanigans; which at this point just means that I woke up at ten today as opposed to nine on a normal school day. I'm fairly confidant I'll be working several times this week which means a couple days at the factory but sometimes its just nice to clock out and let your mind wander while you organize huge amounts of paper. Something about that place is very stimulating for me. Definitely not all the time but I swear I feel like I'm in a Goddard movie when I work sometimes.

The UO/OSU omnium was this last weekend and the entire event has left me on a very good note. Granted I'm still recovering like any normal person and am still sore from falling on my ass yesterday but there's truly nothing like finishing all three races comfortably. Its probably important to note that last year I came out of this weekend feeling much different. Cold, dead, lacking motivation, etc...

Honestly I'm at a loss for words describing fully what it feels like to do "okay" on a race weekend and yet there is something about just being able to finish with a pack that is very satisfying; like what I'm doing isn't just me struggling to finish.

Writing is muted write now. Don't exactly know what that means but I'm rolling with it.

Good deal.

First Ride Of The Season

2010-03-17T18:22:00.001-07:00

That's right I capitalized everything in that title, because it might as well be a book. I will admit it is funny writing about my first actual ride when the Eugene/Corvallis race is just around the corner and the Boise race is over and finished with. Everyone gives me massive shit for not showing up to weekend/training rides over the winter but can we be honest here for a second. If Portland were a child it would most definitely be bi-polar and I'm not about to kit up and go outside when I know that it could all of a sudden decide that it wants to dump rain. I don't care what anybody says, when you're out their riding and its cloudy but not raining and you feel that first drop hit you're face there's definitely a feeling of disappointment; even in the most dedicated of NW people. So it should come as no surprise that my first ride came in 55 degree weather and in almost completely clear skies. At the very least I'm consistent. I can accept being cold and wet while riding a bike, I only request that I'm racing cyclocross when doing so.

Smack dab in the middle of finals week and I must say I quite pleased with myself. I said it last term and even though I failed to do so then I'll say it again; there's a possibility that I could get straight A's for the first time in my life and this pleases me. My writing teacher, in an unexpected but pleasant turn of events, said she really enjoyed my writing which was great to hear. I'm once again trying to write a story on my own time and hearing from a professor that I'm good at developing character only makes me want to write more. My German final took a nice turn for the better as well. To anybody who thinks Spanish is the easiest language to learn I dare you to try German. It's like English in so many ways I'm amazed more people don't speak it.

The last time I showered was last week so I'm going to take care of that in earnest.

DBF

Oh Upstairs Neighbor

2010-03-01T21:39:00.000-08:00

Finally all your ruckus and late night shenanigans are being paid for in the form of me stealing your internet. Oh, what goes around comes around my friend and with this soiled Berber carpet as my witness I pledge I will milk this cow for as long is it keeps letting me touch its tits.

Although this last week has been full of stuff its just a taste compared to these next two. Finals approach and I won't go as far to say that I want this term to be done, rather that I've learned quite a bit and would like to offset that with a week of shenanigans; namely spring break.

Also I say shenanigans but half of that time is probably just going to be dedicated to working at the factory.

Collegiate cycling starts in two weeks. Different life perspective this year round but I'm still excited.

Writing and Writing

2010-02-14T19:49:00.000-08:00

If I ever get this screen play sounding coherent I'll be incredibly thankful. I've started actively writing again and its a lot harder than it looks. Fortunately I've already got a big picture idea already in my head, I just have to get to place where when I explain that picture to people, they'll be in a place to understand it. I got the idea from this book called Einstein's Dreams. Really well done, and I enjoy the concept of time it tries to explain. We all sort of take for granted that time is linear, but what if that wasn't the case. What if things were non-sequential, and surreal, but still exuded a powerful feeling.

I suppose that's what I'm trying to create.

Ideas:

- A series of stories moving toward one moment
- A road story but not identical to Garden State.
- A feeling as if it were written by Charlie Kaufman.

I wish I had an identical twin to bounce ideas off of.

My life is a series of slow moving finances with fast moving ideas

2010-02-04T22:46:00.000-08:00

Which is a good thing and a bad thing.

It's almost been two weeks since I worked and by my calculations I might get something around 60 for my next paycheck which is lame, sort of.

If I get 300$ each month I could

- pay of my credit card debt in four months, ( fuck dawg )
- pay of my heating bill and have 215 left over in one month ( better than fuck dawg )
- buy a zoom h4 and Boss RC-2 in 1.5 months ( hella dawg )
- graduate sooner than I expected and be truly fucked because I don't have a steady job and want to be a comedian/artist/graphic designer/director as a profession

( tits yeah dogg)

I read so much these days

2010-01-31T13:29:00.001-08:00

That statement rings true with me almost everyday now. Although in the end its a good thing because it means that for the first time--possibly ever-- I'm actually doing the readings assigned to me in classes. I'm not sure why back in the day I resented them so hard core, but I've discovered that not only do they help, they are actually quite interesting.

Class Recap:

American Cinema and American Culture:
- I was really looking forward to this class when I first got into it, and trust me its still very interesting but there is definitely something about the way Tate teaches that gets to me sometimes. Sometimes I think the human experience is simply to diverse and random to be able to say that one single thing can incite a whole quiver of feelings, i.e just because Edward G. Robinson's picture is big on the DVD case is big doesn't necessarily represent his god like presence in the film.

Anatomy of a Movie:
- Incredibly thankful I ran out on this class two years ago because I was so intimidated. It makes sense now as a senior majoring in film but I shudder to think how I would have responded if I actually went through with it two years ago. WWII fascinates me. It was the beginning of the end in terms of old war style tactics and it had such a profound affect on film making during the time. Does stuff like that happen today and I'm just not seeing it? Also, the class is about Casablanca.

Dramatic Writing:
- Very thankful I had the gumption to go to this class. I considered not taking it and opting for an easier load this term but its definitely worth it. My writing skills are finally forming a coherent whole, and it only took almost the entirety of college to do so.

German:
- This language is a little ridiculous and yet it comes very naturally. Do I want a minor in it, or do I actually care that much...

I'm really curious what springs going to be like this year

Danny

Amazing Mornings

2010-01-15T09:39:00.000-08:00

Today I had the opportunity of getting to start my day at 7AM, and thus far its both reassured my faith in Portland, and confused me hardcore. Its so bizarre getting up in what is essentially still night, eating, putting on my rain coat expecting cold, and then come to find that its probably 55, maybe even 60 degrees out.

I just checked, and according to the weather peeps its actually only 50, but still! It seems so much warmer than usual. All the same I'm not complaining. If January wants to be silly and manic I'm cool with that, as long as it doesn't mean cold and wet.

All though I'm pretty positive at this point it means wet.

The reason for my early wake up call: I got another audition, and even though its probably not as glamorous and hyped as my previous, it was still very exciting. Not to mention it probably out-WTF'd the last by a good seven points considering its a commercial/spec spot for this...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mello_Yello

I didn't even know this soda still existed, but just as Obama needed McCain, and how white supremacists need minorities, Mountain Dew needs Mello Yellow, and frankly I'm not arguing.

485$ for one days work doesn't hurt either.

Closing statements:

The promotion guy reminded me of a cockatoo, and the other day at work I got paid to stand for three hours while they attempted to fix an industrial printing machine.

Danny

JOB

2010-01-11T14:14:00.001-08:00

I finally got one. Even if its for a temp agency I finally got one, and that's a good thing. Supposedly its at this place called the GAC or Graphic Arts Center, which does a lot of printing.

Could work out

I've outdone myself

2010-01-04T11:43:00.000-08:00

And a rightfully productive winter break it was!

Been an excitable past couple of weeks. Some things went down, lines were exchanged, destinies challenged, the usual goodness.

My audition ended up going really swell considering how things could have turned out seeing as I have exactly zero professional experience when it comes to acting. My dad had the good idea for me to to follow up with a nice little note thanking the production people for there time and patience, and maybe people just like to be thanked but for whatever reason I now have a second callback. Different role, but the fact that they even considered me is a huge compliment. Very excited about that.

As of sometime around Christmas I now have another creative child working under me, namely this bad boy:

dannyfelts.tumblr.com

Consider it my silkscreening/printing/visual situation if anything, since this blog is more of an outlet for me to say made up words like wolf-cat, and muncher-kins. Also it finally gives me the chance to display some of my designing in a way that I find simple, yet still aesthetically pleasing.

AND I finally understand how the 3D filter works on Illustrator, also an excitable bit of news.

Things that I still have to do:

- Find a job
- Finish my stand up act
- Get my Casio's/Bass
- Be the feature guest on Conan O' Brian

It WILL happen...

running email

2009-12-22T12:52:00.001-08:00

Handsome

2009-12-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

This last week has been a firestorm of events. Punches coming at me left and right, but the good news is they were all good punches, similar, if not equal to the Hawaiian variety.

I could list out each day and make some Venn diagrams describing my week but instead here's the abbreviated list in no particular order:

- Finished school for this term, and already got pretty good grades. Hopefully with another "A" coming my way if my teacher finds it in her amazing, forgiving soul to not punish me for turning in part of my final in late

- Created an acting resume which I subsequently turned in to a production agency and ACTUALLY got a call back for an audition. I have no idea what is going to happen but I would wager that I'm probably going to prepare exactly the same way that I did to create the resume; by putting "how to prepare for an audition" into Google. Praise the internet.

- Got to hang out with my good buddy Boone who just got back from touring with Portugal. The Man. Some very interesting music from that neck of the woods and I'm always curious what kind of crazy John Gourley is going to shoot out, probably in the form of a cherub like falsetto. (TWSS)

- I finally got to print a version of my "WHY?" poster, something I've been meaning to do for months now. You can thank Kayleigh, my roommate, for that one. If there's something I don't feel shame for, its using PNCA's screen printing ink for my own personal gain.

- #3. Maybe two people might get this reference. Lucky for me none of them read this.

Crazy week with guaranteed more crazy to come. ( I think )

Danny

Damn bro iss' Cold out

2009-12-07T18:33:00.001-08:00

2009 has been the year of extremes.

107 degrees in August, and currently, as in as I'm typing this right now, 20 degrees.

This reoccurring weatherman fantasy keeps rolling through my head where I see a scurry of people rushing around a war roomesque area with a fevered roar of voices saying things like, "inconciveable!" and "the numbers just don't add up!". And yet at the same time I know people live in places like Minneapolis, and Chicago, and I realize that its not just cold there, its agonizingly cold or as I have dubbed "angry cold".

0 degree bullshit

Life Persists

DBF

A Sick Acceptance

2009-11-27T17:18:00.000-08:00

For those who don't know today is Black Friday, which is basically a holiday that that was created in leu of when to officially start the Christmas shopping season. Any other year I'd probably just be pissed, upset about the various ramifications of what it means to actually have crowds that trample each other just for a deal, and yet this year I didn't see any of that, (in Portland anyway). I went to Pioneer place to crowd watch, seeing as today would be a particular good day to do that, and even in the masses of various people of different colors and creeds all I saw was a bunch of people shopping. Yes, I'm sure there was intense deal mongering between more than one late forty year old that I probably missed, but overall I was actually left quite cheery.

Which led me to my this next conclusion,

1. Is Christmas intensely fueled by capitalism, yeah I would say so
2. Do people over over-indulge, probably

And even with these shortcomings, I'm really amped about this years holiday season. I'm ready for a pleasant reclusiveness brought on by the seasonal cold, a chance to be able to appreciate those who I've met, and a willingness to meet so many more new individuals; all carrying their own specific eccentricities.

Hellz Yeah Holidayz

Danny

Sauvies

2009-11-18T12:41:00.000-08:00

As cyclocross season comes to a close, winter begins its initial decent upon Portland, and subsequently my existence. However, before that whole process actually commences there's still the Kruger's Farm race on Sauvies island, and in terms of races its basically designed to make one feel better about themselves after a hard season of racing and possibly losing.

You can have the worst season racing the Cross Crusade, never truly doing well, but if you race Sauvies things are basically guaranteed to end nicely. Its flat, quick, there are no call ups so you can just go to the front of the line of racers, and most importantly, almost all the fast people are too tired to show.

Its like being Hershey's and going to a chocolate contest only to find that Nestle didn't show up.

SO great

Pissing Rain

2009-11-07T18:03:00.000-08:00

I just thought I'd get that out of the way considering it would inevitably come up in the posting. For the record it rained from approximately "all morning" to "most of the afternoon", so yeah.

My return to 'cross occurs tomorrow, and when I say return I mean I took a week off last week and I may/may not be able to keep up. I strive for a lack of ambiguity in my race predictions and from what I've calculated, the previous sentence seems to be a mostly accurate summary of how I could perform.

Mostly

Danny?

Unholy hard to fucking find Grail

2009-11-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

Cross Crusade Grail hunt; you are a bitch

today I decided it would be a good idea to wander around some of the map locations and see if I could find any "medieval grail weapons".

HORRIBLE IDEA ON A BICYCLE

I mean its not like the landmarks are "that" inaccessible but damn, I rode around a bunch, and of course I came up with nothing. I'm not that tired now but I probably will be tomorrow.

SO tough

danny

Fright Town

2009-10-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

I specifically labeled this post after what I'm doing tonight so that when I frequent my homepage I'm more inclined to write. SO HELLS YEAH WORLD, more of Danny Felts spamming the internet!

In all seriousness tonight is one of the nights that Fright Town, ( local crazy ass haunted house ), is running, and while last year was fun I'm particularly looking forward to this go around. I happened to be a straggler in last years job picking and went from being a fairly harmless ghost covered with a typical uniform white sheet, to having to sit in a small room that was pitch black, with a strobe light, with fake dead bodies swinging all over the place; all this accompanied by low moaning sounds for 2+ hours.

lolz

No Astoria this weekend, as much as I would like to race I could use a week off, and I was sick for the majority of the week, which was awesome. The Crusade will have to wait

The bamboo bike project is also under way, if all goes well I should be at the very least a satisfied owner of something I could other wise never get unless I knew Alan. Should be sweet.

Wort uber,

Danny

Many things have happened

2009-10-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

Fall is being greatly appreciated this time around.

I don't have any definitive answer why, maybe I'm more prepared for the cold then I've been in previous years, or I'm slightly more of a badass in ways I don't know, (I expect this to be the eventual truth), but thus far the only thing I've been noticing in Portland is how much I'm in enjoying the tree's change colors.

Fall/Spring: better half of the year for reals

Summer: sweet, but sweaty; kind of like raucous love making

Winter: Contains only two good things: My birthday (JAN 7, 1988), and the fact that I get my fix of video games during winter break. Otherwise it can suck it.

Cyclocross:

Been doing well lately, ironically enough with my best finish up at Rainer. 35/125 in the C's. Not that bad, although it would be cool to race with the rest of my age contingent up in the B field, after all somebodies got to get 90Th; might as well be me. Hillsboro is tomorrow, looking forward to a fast course, and people complaining about getting amoebas from falling in the cow shit. LOL

Other than that?

My feelings on people who think they are friends with professors just because they are old remains the same,

They, like winter, can suck it.

Danny

Stuff that I want to write about

2009-09-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

For the most part I'm a very future oriented person. Most of the time I prefer to see things as how they could possible turn out, and while that is slightly pointless it doesn't take away from the fact that I find it hard to believe its already the middle of September; maybe not the exact middle but halfway through all the same.

CrossVegas is fast approaching and while I look forward to hanging out in Vegas and begining my Cyclocross season, I am worried about school. Not so much in a " oh, I don't want to go back to school because I don't want to work " kind of way, but rather the fact that if everything goes correctly this year, then I will probably be done. Which I think is a sort of unsettling concept.

And then on the other hand other people may look at it as an opportunity, a chance to do something completely different, travel new places, become integrated into society as one of the masses, yet it does not feel right, not yet anyway. Its strange being relatively close to the edge of my education, although I suppose (insert life long lesson neatly wrapped up into one sentence),

Danny

Cashing in my lack of leaks

2009-08-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

For some reason or another my encounters with tires flatting is quite similar to the changing of the seasons. While it doesn't happen often, every couple of months something drastic happens and my rhythm is thrown off for a couple of weeks. Basically I get a flat, try to patch it, fail, try again, and then proceed to buy a new tube in concession. Right now I'm in the middle of the cycle and hope that this will be my last patch before something inevitably goes wrong, for while some may enjoy buying tubes (their 6$ now), I do not.

CrossVegas approaches incredibly quickly and I'm pretty excited. While last year was fun, this year I have the privilege of actually getting to compete, which should be curious indeed.

Not much else to report but I'm sure I will think of something later...

My frustrations

2009-08-15T19:22:00.001-07:00

Right now, that is to say exactly at this moment I've had almost all I can have of designing. I'm sitting in Smith right now and for whatever reason Illustrator is not having whatever I'm trying to accomplish. After nearly an hour of fumbling around trying to wrap text around a spiral almost all of my attempts have failed; and quite frankly there's no reason why they should.

I guess the good news is that I did, (and this is a big did), actually get permission from a musical artist to design a poster.

Astronautilis to be more specific, google him people its good stuff. Kind if like Why? were slightly folkier and weirder if thats even possible.

Should be a good design when its done but for now, fate is against me.

And I think i might start a new blog for Faux Sho specific stuff.

Danny

The internet actually has monetary value

2009-08-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

So get this world

Just now I was searching the internet, as I normally do once I've eaten my 12:00PM breakfast and made my way to campus, when I discover this little jem.

http://www.websiteoutlook.com/www.sosovelo.com

And all this time I thought people were making websites to be hip and cutting edge when in all actuality, they make a profit. But does it really work?

Bikesnob: $24060.8 USD
Facebook: $602.25 Million USD
Sosovelo: $2423.6 USD?

Answer: I think so.

CREATIVITY: It ebbs and flows

2009-08-04T22:51:00.000-07:00

8th

After one 3rd place finish, two mechanicals, and some technical mishaps that was my overall placing at Short Track. Pretty cool considering I've never ridden mountain before. In some ways its like Cyclocross but in many ways its not. I'll keep it at that.

Designing has slowed rapidly but I really think its just my inability to actually print anything, that and Menomena hasn't gotten back to me yet but hey maybe they're just really busy. After all they did say they were trying to master their album during mid august, which is almost here by the way.

Other good new though, I have a good design for AU that I'm trying to work out. Its amazing what I conceive in my head and how I sometimes manage to get it out on paper. I suppose its all part of the creative process that change in medium. From...

to

Time to Recap!

2009-07-19T17:50:00.000-07:00

I've neglected this blog like a prostitute neglects her crack baby, for shame Danny

But cool stuff has happened, and PIR Short Track is in full swing and doesn't show anytime of stopping soon, (or at least for three more weeks...) I've been happy with my results thus far but have been trying to ignore the point count up seeing as it ruins races. All's I know is that I've scored well and will attempt to keep doing that, and hey, I might even get something cool in return. (Isn't that what its all about, FREE SCHWAG YEAH!)

I'm also on a binge design fury and have been in front of the laptop like crazy. I'm just going to say it and say Adobe Illustrator has to be the best software ever created, and keep in mind I'm including Kidsdesk, Paint, and Hypercard when I say this.

I'll post some stuff up eventually,

Also there's a Christian band playing in the background of the Broadway and a I can faintly hear screaming children.

DOUBLE YEAH!

hitting home?

2009-06-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

"Impromptu vigils broke out around the world, from Portland, Ore., where fans organized a one-gloved bike ride (“glittery costumes strongly encouraged”) to Hong Kong, where fans gathered with candles and sang his songs.

Now, I realize Portland considers itself the home of "bike culture," and I'm sure it's a lovely place to ride a bike, but seriously--it's enough already. Is there any news or pop cultural event around which the people of Portland will not form some sort of kitchy theme ride?"

BSNYC posted this a couple days ago and while I do enjoy living in Portland, I can't help but feel that he's somewhat hit the nail on the head. "Bike Culture" as it is now has become one of those synergistic words, born from the increasing amount of people riding these days, and as much as I embrace the the whole DIY attitude of some of the subgroups of said culture, I can't help but sometimes feel that sometimes we cross the line. Keep in mind the line is blurry, ambiguous, and will be argued upon until the apocalypse, but every once and a while something like this happens and I do think to myself "really?"; either that or, "eh, I'm not surprised"

That and I just never really liked Micheal Jackson.

Last Year around this time

2009-06-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

So I'm back in Seattle taking an obligatory do nothing week with my parents week, and while I suppose it is technically summer, its progressing at a different pace than last year. For those who don't know last year I found myself in a weird creative slump and it was all the excitement and involvement in Portland's bike scene that sort of kept me afloat and involved, but this time around things are a little different. Before it wasn't a matter of training, or competitive edge it was just a sort of fun involvement in a great progressive scene. The excitement of not knowing what was coming up next, not knowing what a challenge racing on mt tabor was, or having any idea of what the swan island criterium could be; there is something to be said about being completely in the middle of everything and simply knowing that things are fine how they are.

I'm not sure if its the kind of personality type I am, or if I just crave the new or unknown but things are different. I used to ride a pista, now I ride a scattante. Track used used to be my favorite type of racing, now I look forward to cross. I used to be tired all the time, now I eat 2500 calories a day.

Changes, I say, changes.

Danny

I will never have this or, Old people/dentists rejoice!

2009-06-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

While it may come as a surprise to some, sometimes I'm not the best mechanic. Over the past year I've "overcome" (fucked up) a variable cornucopia of "hurdles" (bike parts), and its just now that I'm actually beginning to get a grasp of what I'm really dealing with when it comes to fixing my shit. Yes, it can be discouraging and to a very extent dangerous ( crank arm falling off twice...), but the great puzzle that is bike tuning is now actually coming to fruition, myself having just found all the edges of said metaphorical puzzle. However no matter how long I ride or how much I try to learn, I don't think I'll ever truly understand the mystery behind cables and housing. Sure, the concept is simple enough, cables connect to derailleurs, which then stretch cable to different increments to change the gears, etc etc, but for some reason or other when ever that faithful time comes around when I'm having to put all my weight on my shifters in order to change gears because their so full of gunk, I always know it will be an involved laborious process. TO contrast here's what most mechanics go through:

Replace cables and housing when worn/tattered:
- Remove old housing
- Remove old cables
- Put on new cables
- Put on new housing
- Adjust accordingly
- Eat a sandwich

Now here's what those fat cats in Washington aren't telling ya! Or how I go about the same process...

- Remove old housing
- Accidentally messing up shifting
- Curse
- Pay for new housing
- Mix shifting up with brake cabling
- Curse
- Measure old housing length
- Accidentally cut too short
- Cry
- More crying
- Laborious rebuilding/repacking of self-esteem ( like hubs, time consuming )
- Put shifting back on
- Put cables back on
- prematurely cut cables in foolhardy move
- figure out that I need shorter housing with current cable length

The list goes on. But wait! A light at the end of the tunnel? It can't be...

Excalibur! There is a God! Finally a system built just for me. Oh, I can't wait... What? Wait a minute, whats the you say...

Oh...Well at least the dentists will be happy. Until then my plight continues: the endless battle between cables and myself. I believe Captain Barbosa put it best...

Barbossa: Are we to be two immortals locked in an epic battle until Judgment Day and trumpets sound?

Answer:
Probably

Culture going wireless

2009-06-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

If I've learned anything over the past year its that people obsessively cling to things, whether it be people, pass times, what have you, and in conjuncture cyclists are no exception to this rule, and in many cases the outliers we all hear about. Case in point; my own personal flow chart on some of the various divisions of the sport.

Fixed Geared Culture:
njs culture , track culture, city fixed gear culture , riser handle bar culture, 144bcd culture

Road Culture:
Campy/Shimano/Sram culture/obsession, century culture, STP culture
Cross Culture:
Embrocation Culture, Pain/Nihilistic Culture, Winter Culture

Touring Culture:
Riding long distances and watching pretty sunset culture... the list continues.

It seems for whatever discipline people settle on there's the corresponding culture, and subculture that go along with said culture and while I have no real problem against any of this I'm curious to see where this particular innovation lands...

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/road-bikes/product-road-bike-root-category/2009-shimano-dura-ace-di2-st-7970-sti-levers-5957.2333.0.NONAV.html

Yes, Shimano has apparently perfected that which can sometimes be the most annoying thing on a bicycle, and subsequently the reason why many ride fixed to begin with, besides the culture side of it anyway...

NO MORE CABLES! Shifting cables that is but don't trust my word, competitive cyclist has already beat me to it...

For all the chatter about electronic shifting replacing mechanical, the place where people will love it or hate it is at the shift lever. Shimano rightly lavished plenty of attention when they designed the Dura Ace Di2 Dual Control levers.

In order for the Di2 levers to work at shifting your bike, they must be used in conjunction with the Di2 front derailleur, rear derailleur, battery pack, and wiring kit.

The most obvious advantage to going electronic is the fact that the cable routing doesn't add friction to the system. No cables = no friction. Add to that the system is fast. Really fast. Faster than downtube shifting. 30% faster than shifting on mechanical Shimano Dura Ace 7900. Better still, the shifting feel is much lighter. You can do it when you're tired. You can do it with "weak" fingers. You don't have to move your wrists or forearm.

Unlike mechanical Dura Ace, the Di2 shift lever blade doesn't move inward. Instead there are two paddles behind the unidirectional carbon-fiber lever blade. The one closer to the handlebar still does the traditional shifting with the spring (aka onto smaller cogs in the rear, onto bigger in the front), and the one further does the traditional shifting against the spring (aka onto taller cogs in back onto smaller in front). They each have 2mm of travel. Each push results in one shift. Though if you're coasting, you can "pre-shift" any number of gears, and the system will take up the shifting when you start pedaling.

I'll be keeping my eyes open for any following "cable culture" to emerge from the dust that is Dura Ace Di2 but I'm not sure where exactly it will go in my little flow chart, or if it should be there in the first place.

Yonkers, NY

2009-06-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

After several days of wonderful weather I think the people of Portland can somewhat officially say that summer is here for what I hope to be at least a couple months...after this week that is. In a last ditch effort to give one final post spring time flourish I think the weather is trying to rain one last time. Kind of...

In an attempt to surprise people into thinking they needed their raincoats today, it rained for about two minutes, and while one could call the actual "shower" lame it was moisture that was the lasting effect on peoples minds. Overall it left me in a lethargic kind of mood but beyond sweating a little more and moving a little slower it reminded me of New York and how long its been since I last visited. Maybe I'm over dramatizing it, but I'll always remember the very distinct feeling of NY humidity and for a couple moments today Portland almost matched it. The only thing missing really was the lack of insects chirping in the background. Specifically...

Fascinating

Team

2009-05-27T21:38:00.001-07:00

This is a question that has wracked my mind over continuously since I started riding. In all honesty I'm not entirely sure if I can even say my own opinion is not somewhat biased, but from what I can understand its something along the lines of " a group of like minded individuals with a common goal. "

Case in point...

Team Beer: A team of pub goers
Team Cthulu: A team of metal
Team Ironclad: A team of late 20 somethings
Team Guinness: A team of 40 somethings
Team Cyclisme: A team of enthusiasts
Team PSU: A team of college students?

During Collegiate season, yes

During OBRA season,

?

Da bidness at Marymoor

2009-05-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

compared to...

It was the opposite at Marymoor the other day but it really does add new meaning to the phrase " traction speed "

BKW

2009-05-18T15:07:00.001-07:00

While Belgian Knee Warmers always puts out good race photography, I also always appreciate they're insight when it comes to race politics and tactics. Read the last two posts about Armstrong and Boonen. Both are quite enjoyable.

Stupidity costs 10.00$

2009-05-17T16:19:00.000-07:00

As the weather is ramping up to summer status I am now yet again finding, or rather falling upon, some of the blank spots with my knowledge of bicycle parts/mechanics. Over the past year I've experienced various mechanical failures, not only including loose crank arms, broken seat posts, bent handle bars, broken derailleurs, etc..., and yesterday after a relatively good streak of incident free days I was once again humbled.

The Seat Post Binder Bolt:

A relatively simple part of the bike most notable for the excellent job it does in keeping the seat post from falling, yet yesterday I truly understood the meaning of the saying, " don't over tighten the bolt or you'll fuck it up "; and preceded to over tighten the bolt, and thus fuck things up.

Luckily the damage was not permanent and fortunately enough fixable. So with that a big ups to Peter from 21st Cycles, I believe this would be the third or fourth time you've been present during one of my points of stupidity

EPIC WIN

~DBF

Vanity costs $8.99

2009-05-10T15:24:00.000-07:00

At least according to specialized bicycles. I was recently on their website looking for new sets of road shoes when I came across this little number...
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=40468

Of course Rivercity has them for exactly the same price, and yet they do not have the white version. With shipping at about nine dollars this would be heracy if anyone ever found out that I was tempted to order them, what with the push in Portland to get people to keep going to bike shops rather than the internet.

And yet I fail at this as well...
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=17144&item=50-2103&slitrk=search&slisearch=true

perhaps the mother of all online retailers, Performance has once again roped me in what with their low, low prices.

Perhaps if I were a rich dentist things would be easier.

Cody

2009-04-16T20:27:00.001-07:00

There's a fragility in opinion that I think I no longer can say that I am immune to.

It was a feeling a haven't truly encountered for some time; true objective sadness. Yesterday when I was talking to my father I learned that one of my families three dogs was diagnosed with liver cancer and that it had already spread to his lungs terminally. At first I didn't really know what to say, and truthfully there wasn't much to be said.

He received the shot today sometime in the afternoon not a day after my knowledge

He had done nothing to anyone, at times he could be yappy like any other small dog, and of course sometimes that yappiness transcended into a full scale hate factor where I was the one wishing death, but given the opportunity to strap him down to a table and give him the lethal injection would I? Absolutely not; and here, all of a sudden, something completely beyond my power does, in such a short span of time that it throws me into shock, almost like a joke. A fatal infallible truth; and now he's gone.

It was the first time I've heard my father cry in a long time. As a kid I was very lucky, both of parents despite their eccentricities had a firm grasp on reality and were seldom brought to tears; brought to vulnerability, and despite this I hear the sniffling of my mother over the phone, and the hushed crying of my father in the background.

No one is an island. I thought I was beyond emotion, and yet all it took was the unmitigated pattern of truth and fate. I'm not a religious person but I do wish a peace upon my family, and a peacefulness in the dog that I now recognize to be good.

Danny

2009-04-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

POINT OF INTEREST FOR THE DAY:
Generally speaking I think its a good thing to live in the present, although recently I've found myself doing the exact opposite.

School has been good to me thus far. This term I'll be finishing up FIlm History which turned out to be far more interesting than ever previously thought. Overall I'm glad I'm a film major, maybe its not the most conventional study, but it beats solving math problems.

The OSU and WWU/UW races went very well, more and more I'm finding I like Criterium's much more than Road Races. They remind me of Cross and I like that.

yeah

Winter Term: Done

2009-03-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

After a steady completion of final after final, my Winter Term is for all extensive purposes over. I have to say taking 20 credits wasn't as bad as I imagined. Granted most of my classes functioned a little differently with the work load emphasized in different places, but overall not a horrible experience. The weather has been off and on this week with random downpours and bouts of sunlight.

Typical manic Portland; can't make up its mind to save its life.

I've mostly recovered from my brief bout of sickness, its always a weird feeling re acclimating after being bed ridden for a couple days. The real test will be this weekend. I'm not sure how people fair doing 30 mile bike races and what not after being sick but I'll see soon enough.

I hope I don't die

the end

Sickness

2009-03-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

I has it.

And have had it for the past four days.

Lame

S&D III

2009-03-05T16:47:00.001-08:00

Spand and Deliver #3: Half Messenger/Half Road Race. Alley Cat

If there is any indicator to how I've improved since last year, (coming up on almost exactly last year now), this is it. I did this alley cat last year and got DFL, attributed mostly to my lack of coordination between checkpoints, but either way by the end I was more tired then I had ever been and in last.

Things I learned during the race last year

- do the checkpoints in the right order
- try not to fall
- how to descend Mt Tabor correctly

Things I acquired from last years race

- DFL
- A Candy Bar
- A Nickname

Concluding thoughts: no expectations, have fun.

Banana #1

2009-03-01T21:36:00.001-08:00

Today was the first race in the Banana Belt series for OBRA. I suppose it was my first race of the "season" and overall I did fine considering I've never actually done a road race before. 19/31: slightly below mid pack but I mainly attribute it to the down hills I had to deal with 2/3 through the last lap. I had kept a pretty good pace but after failing to keep on on a very sharp turn down a monster hill I lost the pack and had to sprint just to keep up. Again, descending is something I'm not very good at but I mostly attribute it to the fact that its hard to be steady in any situation when your gangly, and 6'3.5", this isn't including the fact that it was going down a wet hill at 35mph and having to make a 90 degree turn. So overall I didn't do horribly. I would have liked better if I finished higher, but for a first road race that wasn't too bad.

On a slighter more ironically positive note it rained almost consistently through my race and for the most it didn't really bother me, I can thank the Cross Crusade for that one.

As far as road racing in general, its something I need work on so I suppose I shall continue to proceed.

Thats all for now?

Theft

2009-02-22T18:31:00.000-08:00

Recently I was unfortunate/fortunate enough to get my wheel set stolen and then get it back. I've got to say, as far as gut feelings go, getting something stolen from you definitely leaves the sourest, emptiness taste. I'm really lucky I got an opportunity to get my wheels back but this little theft has been floating around for about two weeks now and as far as emptiness goes its somewhere between Dick Cheney's heart and a black hole.

I'M GUNNA GET YA!

http://bikeportland.org/2009/02/18/thief-swipes-high-end-bikes-from-pearl-district-condo-photos/

I've got to say as far as thefts go this guy has really screwed himself. When my shit got stolen the only person who cared enough to look was probably me and a few other close friends/cyclists, but this guy is offering up a 1000$ bounty. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the Moots company aside from the fact that they actually decided to name a bike building company Moots, but if I so much as see the slight gleam of Titanium anywhere in the Pearl, this guys pretty much done. I had a day dream just a second ago of unclipping and pouncing on the guy while riding, so one can imagine what social justice/universal curvyness coupled with bounty of 1000 means to me right now.

Headcold

2009-02-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

its been about two years since I fell ill to any illness that kept me bedridden, but ever so occasionally a stray head cold will catch me off guard and I'm forced to weather waking up feeling like a foot, and walking through the day in a half daze.

So why fight and forced thought when I can just go on the internet.

Thats what I thought

Busy

2009-02-05T11:26:00.000-08:00

Any idea of consistent riding this week has been promptly thrown out the window because of a recent two day head cold, and the onslaught of mid terms that goes along with taking twenty credits.

I do think Saturday will be a productive ride though

Also, I still don't have a house.

Danny

Craigslist is...

2009-01-31T13:44:00.000-08:00

I came up with plenty of adjectives to try to finish that previous statement, really though, the only thing I've learned about Craigslist, is that when you give people a foot, they generally want a mile.

The housing search soon comes to close. Its very possible that I might find myself either living way out by interstate or relatively close in near Belmont. My biggest concern at this point is finding tubs to put all my shit in, so overall things are not that bad.

While I can't quite put my finger on it, I do think the days are getting slightly longer
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_pap.pl

Which is always encouraging

Danny

I've got back into the swing!

2009-01-18T15:55:00.000-08:00

Winter break is know weeks behind me and I think I can say that despite all the sidetracking that I do participate in, there is now some sort of strange pattern to my daily living.

Good things that have happened:
- I'm taking twenty credits this terms at PSU, so I never can say "I'm not busy", or "I don't have homework, ", or something to that extent. And yes, this is indeed a good thing despite what some may say.
- PSU cycling has been interesting to say the least. I'm going on weekend rides, in addition to training every day in some form or another. Again, sometimes difficult but a good thing.
- Its not raining, point made.
- I'm eating more, or, I'm not going into muscle depletion because I'm riding more than I'm eating.

Not as good things that have happened:
- My landlord is evicting me and my three roommates on the grounds that " he needed to live there to fix everything that was broken ". To his credit many things were broken, ( i.e the fuses, outlets, dishwasher, heating system, etc ), and because of his own lack of responsibility, ( not fixing these things one at time months ago when we asked him ), we are now mostly homeless. SO if anyone has a room/closet ( 8*8 will work,) that they are not using, I'd love to rent it!
- Its cold. No surprise but its to be expected.

Belated New Years Resolutions that I forgot about:
- Go on a ride with every single Portland Based Cycling Team
- Eat more
- Successfully write a song with a vocoder. (Maybe)
- Be more successful than I was last year

The last is the same resolution Akon has, although I'm sure his is much more linked with rap music production.

Danny

Open call

2008-12-31T01:56:00.000-08:00

This upcoming season will be my second season as a recreational cyclist in the Portland area. It could be a great year for learning but only yet suffice to say it, and I usually don't, I need your help.

The only question is how...

Introspective Seasonal Post

2008-12-23T01:30:00.000-08:00

Since moving to Portland I've always found my visits in Seattle/Shoreline to be somewhat awkward and short lived, which leads me to my next point. I think this is the first since I moved to Portland that I've felt "at home" in some form or another, and I suppose I can thank the snow. For those not keeping up with the NW weather forecasts, Portland and Seattle have added to the "the weather is going to shit" theory by snowing for nearly three days. Anybody who has lived in either place can attest that if each area has gotten even as little as an hour of good snow, it has been a good year, but 2008 definitely outdid itself by truly leaving both cities, each with both of there singular snowplows, completely incapacitated; and in this case its a good thing.

I came up to Seattle this year with some plans in mind, train a little, try to hang out with friends, this and that but I've finally come to the conclusion that Shoreline is different for me. Its always been a weird little suburb so I might as well go along with it, if only for a little bit and just relax.

In other words, I've been snowed in for roughly four days, been outside twice, and thats just fine.

Cheers world

Winter-hella-tastic

2008-12-21T16:42:00.000-08:00

Right now I'm listening to my dad watch the nutcracker, while it continues to snow, after doing very little today.

Yule tide joy if I've ever seen it.

Seattle Break

2008-12-18T15:05:00.000-08:00

Seattle has been good thus far although it decided to dump snow like crazy. I've only gone outside once to day and that was to take this picture from my front porch... While I am tempted to take the bike out for a spin I feel as though I may freeze my fingers over again. I still can't feel six of them, thanks to the Portland snow.

This is what I've been doing the past day and a half. Taping, painting, drying, then painting again, and now marveling at my work. Well, mostly marveling there are a few mishaps here and there.

I don't know if it was a need to finish one of the many projects my mother starts and never finishes or the need to paint, yet whatever the reason our hallway is now the color of peanut butter. I'll update on the riding situation later as that should have its own dedicated post.

A nice accent to an otherwise tapeless existence.

This year in racing

2008-12-12T13:15:00.001-08:00

Christmas is fast approaching and now with the Portland Cyclocross season truly at an end I thought it might be a good idea to recap on my accomplishments, where I could improve; one of those compliment sandwiches that I've heard so much about.

Overall racing was good and considering this was my first year I think I did an alright job.

Track:

Starting out on the track is a nice way to get into biking. Theoretically track racing is probably the last type of bicycle racing one would try, after stints with road and maybe cross, but it is Portland and with all the fixed gears everywhere already, one can't help but think what they are actually designed for. I got 3rd as a cat 5 over all in the track bar, so I can't complain too much. Goals for next year: less emphasis on the track with better quality than quantity. I tired myself out so bad over the summer doing races every week, I need to eat alot more next time and make sure I don't destroy myself. Goal: try to be a cat 4

Road/Criterium:

Didn't really get to do any road, but raced a couple of the popular crit races. Crits are mostly fun with a fair amount of pain. I only hope I can maybe me a cat 4 so my field can be bigger. We'll just have to wait and see.

Cross:

I really enjoyed cyclocross. The cross crusade was a great compilation of races and I can see why its so popular in Oregon, not to mention it just hurt less to race it. Great way to stay fit in the winter, and if I had an emphasis this would be it.

I guess thats it?

yes

2008-12-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

Today's the last day of the fall term. I still have finals but that shouldn't be too difficult, and I should be in the saddle more.

What really happened these past couple of days

2008-11-29T01:51:00.001-08:00

I've noticed lately that I've started many sentence in a title only to end them as the remainder of a post. Today I'll elaborate on that.

Black Friday has come and gone as it always does. Most of the time I get a kick over the people who end up standing in line, and who eventually stampede through the doors but this year was slightly more, how should I put this, forceful

Yes, I can't believe I'm able to say this, somebody died because, NOT FOR, Walmart. These are strange days, and I have no idea how to transition into another subject, so I'll do just that

The house has been treating me well thus far. With Thanksgiving come and gone its nice to relax and understand that certain things can be put aside, for if only, a little a while. I did something I haven't done in a long time and successfully managed to play video-games for hours, again revisiting things can be awkward yet comforting.

Now its 2AM and in my book, officially to late for this

Cheers

It is interesting

2008-11-28T01:29:00.000-08:00

to be home

I'm not there

2008-11-25T17:06:00.000-08:00

http://app.obra.org/results/event/13315

once again, not there.

OBRA neglected to record my finish the other day at Kruger's. My number's been getting thrashed lately and I'll give them that much, but considering the fact that I'm the only one with a cross vegas jersey, I should stick out a little bit when crossing the slow motion finish line. That and I tend to stick out most of the time. I think I got somewhere around 15, which is good. I can feel the swimming and trainers helping.

Thanksgiving is pretty close, not sure what to think of that.

Not sure what to say

What I'll be doing/thinking in two weeks

2008-11-15T01:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2008/11/urge.html

This article really spoke to me, there's drive to it that goes beyond petty arguing about what's better and instead reminds me that were all just being creative, but enough of that.

Its been a good week. My mom came down from Seattle the other day and I got a chance to catch up with what's happening in Shoreline. Apparently my sister's overworking herself and my brother continues to live in the clouds, but somehow I'm not incredibly surprised. The last couple of years I've had a tendency to mislabel late fall as winter and dislike it as a whole, but I've come to realize its quite nice. Its one of the few times I really get to see my family and visit shoreline in any consistency, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel strange riding around the town I used to live in but there's a bunch of memories that I get to re-explore and experience; its all strangely comforting.

Swimming is has been beneficial, at least I think it has. The stretching that goes on in the water really counteracts some of the harsh things that can happen on the bike. The last CC is this weekend as well,

word

Broken things

2008-11-04T14:10:00.000-08:00

Its been a tough week and a half. Portland did not hesitate to rain the minute Halloween was over, and any ideas of Indian summers should be thrown out the window at this point. CC #6 was not the best in my book. I didn't get any chances to train over the course of the week and finished much farther back then I had hoped. Its an annoying and troubling thought to have your inner monologue go on about how you don't want to compete anymore when your racing. Really doesn't make for good results.

Barton was mostly gravel with a couple patches of mud. My race was one of the first so the course wasn't completely destroyed yet, but near the end it was just plain dangerous. I think right now one of my problems may be steadiness and confidence, at least on gravel. i wanted to speed up, but i also wanted to not fall down, that was the mantra behind that race anyway.

For this week: actual regimented training. It has to be done or else I will not progress... and eating.

Cross thus far

2008-10-28T00:29:00.000-07:00

After getting back from Astoria, it dawned on me that the Crusade is now more than halfway over. I have seen some good improvement and I was really happy that I was able to scrape a good finish on Sunday considering the circumstance, what with falling and knocking the wind out of me. The weather indicates a change to the wetter side of things soon which means Barton could be muddy, so far only Alpenrose was rainy but that could change soon enough.

SO, a goal... hoping to reach the top of the C's maybe, possibly, maybe not possibly? I'll be out there doing my damnedist to try, its sure worth a shot.

PSU has treated me well thus far, they all seem like a great bunch of people from a bunch of different backgrounds. There's something humbling about seeing awesome racers from teams like Ironclad, Veloshop, and even The Gentle Lovers, all converging on one plane of racing. I always stress out about training but but I hope I can have some fun on some road rides later this week.

Just have to let go of the past sometimes and keep moving forward.

CC#3: Cold, Foggy, Painful, but not rainy

2008-10-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

This was, by a fair margin, my most difficult race thus far. There was the illusion of downhill throughout most of the course, buts lets be honest it was all just one big run up. I was a little out of it because of an inability to train due to a small cold, and I definitely felt it but with a 66 place finish I can't complain

this is of course out of 138 so technically it was middle of the pack.

Off to Astoria soon, I'm almost hoping for rain but I'm not really sure what I think or want anymore.

We shall see!

Time has sprouted wings

2008-10-17T23:23:00.000-07:00

Because it has truly been one of the quickest weeks ever. I keep wanting to say that I have a couple days until CC#3 but then I realize its actually only 36 hours away, in where better than scenic and probably unrecognizable Kelso/Longview; one of the many small cities one passes through if heading between Portland and Seattle or vice versa. Despite having made that very trip hundreds of times, this will be the first time I'e actually gotten off at the Kelso exit for a good reason, I suppose there couldn't be a better time than now.

Supposedly nice weather but I'll believe it when I see it.

A good read

2008-10-14T19:07:00.001-07:00

the rider
Originally uploaded by dannyfelts

At the suggestion of Justin I decided to read Tim Krabbé's book The Rider and found it one of the more inspiring things I've read. Anyone who has ever raced competitively can relate to this guy, regardless of skill level. Its translated from Dutch so the dialogue comes through a little funny at times but its still a great read.

I had a feeling this may happen

2008-10-13T20:15:00.001-07:00

1/2 sick after a race day, but not bedridden which I am happy about, although it's now a chore to breathe efficiently.

And another thing...

http://www.tufonorthamerica.com/tires/special.php?seriesid=23

Ignoring the specifics of that perticular tire I'm curious what a "tubular clincher" actually is, and if it really is what I think it is why isn't the cyclocross world going bonkers and dumping the ever popular tubular set up.

Curious

Just a thought

Ice Cube said it best... Cross Crusade #2

2008-10-12T17:26:00.001-07:00

Today was a good day.

Went up to Willsonville this morning, waking up at the bitter hour of 6:50 to make my way to the Second Cross Crusade Race.

Things to note:

~ Course was extremely versatile, with a lot of very fast sections and slow sections. I'm not really sure whether I should be thankful or not but it didn't rain and at most the ground was slightly damp with not too much give. Got incredibly dry throughout the day, again I'm curious how the course faired for the masters considering it was mostly dust by the time they raced.

~ Extremely technical overall, and while there was only two official barriers, there were several sections that could have doubled quite nicely.

~ Where there wasn't mountains of dirt, there were rocks and its only godsend that I didn't flat, considering how many people I saw who did.

Overall Placing: 13th out of 100 and something. A really strong race and proof that I can indeed move up to being a Cat C. I've heard from several people that its not that different but I'll have to see for myself.

We shall see in time.

Pre-race day jitters

2008-10-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

Literally!

The Northwest continues to be a harsh mistress with its icy bosom now upon oregon, or, it got really cold really fast. In the past week its gone from being comfortably chilly to full on freezing.

My house isn't responding too well to the extremes in temperature either. It recently decided to drop to the point to where I could see my breath in the morning, so I retaliated by putting plastic over my windows. In short, it kind of works, kind of...

I've been taking it easy the last couple of days preparing for Sundays race. Been doing yoga in the morning and before I go to bed as much as I can, which seems to be helping in little bit. I've also rediscovered my infatuation with running at night wearing only running shorts, shoes, and a tired grin, ( the colder it is, the stranger the looks )...

The second Cross Crusade is tomorrow which is definitely going to be interesting.

http://www.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=108907454630463163469.000454e9665dbf5bfe7f3&ll=45.312948,-122.793975&spn=0.007303,0.014656&t=h&z=16

The weather-clowns predict sun tomorrow, coupled with the fact that this looks like a much faster course then Alpenrose was: Note that there is only one barrier in the entire course and many long straightaways. I can only hope its a little slower then it looks.

At least the weather will be nice.

First Cyclocross Race Ever: Alpenrose

2008-10-05T16:33:00.000-07:00

Finally happened after a long awaited off season cross finally started today! Rode the beginner men which worked out extremely well, with the exception that I got a flat with about two laps to go. The course was really crazy technical but slow but with quick sections that really helped and kept the pace up.

Mostly comprised up of hay and random debris but by the time the masters men raced it was mostly mud and extremely slippery.

Things to improve on for the next race.

1. Bringing arm warmers, might be worth it.
2. Inflating my tires more, probably the reason I got a flat in the first place.
3. Get top five, or try to win the beginners: I'd like to have that psychological reassurance that I do belong in the C's before jumping up to them. I probably would have finished top 5 today for reference.
4. Get on a team, time to get back on that boat. Veloshop would be really cool or maybe Ironclad.

Figure out strategy and train a little more.

Danny

Other things in my life.

Whoo!

That first post was written while I was waiting in the Apple store at Pioneer Place, so it was definitely rushed a little. Now a real recap...

Today was a good finale to what has been a very busy week. I'm tempted to say that it was almost a little unnerving but when I look back at the actual events that happened and really think it over, I usually just come to the decision that I was just very busy getting things ready. First off got myself slightly more into debt finishing my cross bike just in time for cross crusade. I have no idea where I'm going to scape together some several hundred dollars but I usually find a way so I'm not really that worried, not to mention the Scattante looks awesome, and I think I can officially say its the first bike I've pretty much built up by myself. With a slightly shorter stem I think it just might work perfect.

School has been heating up as well, I had a little scare about whether or not I should drop a class or not but after some careful deliberation I think I'll keep it and just work it out. Film is something that comes and goes in my mind but even though it is a slightly silly major I take solace in the fact that I know I can creatively read and write a little bit more proficiently.

I've also decided to give morning spinning a shot with the stationary bike. Normally I would never be able to do this but for the first time in my college career I'm able to sleep in a little more so why not wake a little earlier and start the day on in the saddle, literally. Supplemented with a little running I should be able to get a pretty good independent training schedule out. All this aside I'm still trying to see if I can get accepted by Veloshop, and at the same tim wondering if I should considering they have no strict training regiment. It's worth a shot in my book, and hey, what could possibly go wrong, ( not sure if thats the right thing to end a post with )

Danny