I recently checked some comments I missed and found one from Dan Snopek. My college roomate. I've been wondering all these years what you've been up to.
Dan, go to www.teamsportsinc.com and you should be able to send me an e-mail without the whole world seeing your address. If it doesn't work then send anonther comment on the blog.
Hope to hear from you soon pal!
Something could be said for having a blog I guess.
DJB
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Hawaii wrap up cont'd cont.
This is where I stood and sweated all day. Not bad being right on the ocean though. (Note to self don't forget the anti-fatigue mat next year.)
Nice cob job to keep the post from slipping. (that bolt usually isn't there) Kim's insert pulled out again. Not sure why the JB Weld did not hold. It has worked fine before.
Linsey is one of the best folks I know and that's not just because she always says her bike "rocks" after I work on it. I predict good things for her. She seems to get stronger and stronger as an Ironman athlete. She's had quite a year with excellent results, getting hit by cars (I think she is on her third frame), an epic ride with Matt Seeley in AZ, and getting married. If you ever meet her, check out the scars on her arm. They are NICE!
This is me (obviously) on race morning in the bike transition making sure the Timex athletes are "aired up". For the Hawaii race I don't exactly have the correct credentials to be in there but the 3 security people said it was okay. Eventually after an hour some lady started following me around after talking on her radio. Then the master of security said I must leave. There was no reasoning with him. My pet peeve in life is folks who use their so called authority in some job position to be all high and mighty. For one thing it was your guys who let me in after I asked if I could be in there and now you are saying I snuck in. Go peddle your papers on something more important than me. At the time they asked me to leave I was actually helping random people put air in their tires since I had done all my athletes anyways. You think they would have appreciated me being there to help out.
On a funny note. One of the girls forgot her CO2 cartridges. Someone went to get them for me and I was told to tape them to her seat so she would know that we brought them for her. Typically she carries them in her pocket. Wouldn't you know it, in all the confusion of transition she jumped on her bike and sat on them. Oh well, at least she noticed them.
This is from the awards ceremony. I was brought up on stage and learned to twirl a stick with flames on the ends. Actually I was given some lessons backstage first. You know, for liability reasons. Pretty cool. In my book, it's all about experiencing the culture wherever I go. Thanks to Jako who sent me the photo. I appreciate it.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Hawaii wrap up cont.
This is the view of me from my balcony. The waves were crashing so loud that sometimes I had to shut the windows at night.
There is a theme restaurant in Kona called Bubba Gumps. This is me doing my impression of Forest Gump. "Hello, My name is Forest, Forest Gump"
Another view from the balcony without my face getting in the way.
I call this "Ocean".
More condo work. This time its gluing and gluing and gluing tires! I prefer clinchers instead for obvious reasons or least an assistant whose job it would be to just glue. By the way this is how I spent my birthday. I'm not big on birthdays anyways but for those who knew it was my b-day this is what i did. A man and his work. I was playing with the wheel. Try spinning it and then let it balance on your palm. It's something I've always found fun. It's a physics thing.
Hawaii wrap up
Hey, (Aloha)
Instead of babbling about nothing in particular I thought I'd post a bunch of pictures and comment on them. This may take a few postings since I'm not sure how many photos fit on each post. It seems to jam of the works if I put too many on.
I know it sounds galmorous to be in Hawaii but we all must keep it in perspective. I was working! I'm serious. For about 4 days I did nothing but work some long days into the night with not much to eat but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Enjoy the pictures!
These people have nothing to do with Hawaii. The night before I left went to dinner. These are some people I've met since living in milwaukee. Actually it never seems like I'm in Milwaukee but I guess it's where I live.
A short wait in Chicago. Early morning flight and I'm looking pretty good.
Made it to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in time for some dinner. It's tradition to go to Huggos on the Rocks for some fish tacos the first night. Tasty!
Working in the condo to fix Kim's bike. For you mechanics this was a JB Weld job to fix the seatpost clamp insert that was pulling out of the frame.
I tried to go for a ride early each morning. It was usually less hot in the morning and riding keeps me sane.
Instead of babbling about nothing in particular I thought I'd post a bunch of pictures and comment on them. This may take a few postings since I'm not sure how many photos fit on each post. It seems to jam of the works if I put too many on.
I know it sounds galmorous to be in Hawaii but we all must keep it in perspective. I was working! I'm serious. For about 4 days I did nothing but work some long days into the night with not much to eat but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Enjoy the pictures!
These people have nothing to do with Hawaii. The night before I left went to dinner. These are some people I've met since living in milwaukee. Actually it never seems like I'm in Milwaukee but I guess it's where I live.
A short wait in Chicago. Early morning flight and I'm looking pretty good.
Made it to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in time for some dinner. It's tradition to go to Huggos on the Rocks for some fish tacos the first night. Tasty!
Working in the condo to fix Kim's bike. For you mechanics this was a JB Weld job to fix the seatpost clamp insert that was pulling out of the frame.
I tried to go for a ride early each morning. It was usually less hot in the morning and riding keeps me sane.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
EARTHQUAKE
An earthquake hit the island soon after I just finished posting my last blog entry. Power has come back on after several hours but who knows if it will last. Most people report being a little scared and having to walk around broken glass. People who were sleeping are walking around in their underwear as many of the hotels are not letting people back into the building yet.
I held on to the kitchen counter and my bike (it fell over on my leg) as the 3rd floor of the condo was swaying back and forth. Kitchen cabinets were flying over and glasses breaking on the floor. Lamps knocked off the tables. Pictures frames crashing to the floor. It was a scary several seconds wondering what to do.
I just read a report it was centered about 10 miles north of Kona. Basically right underneath us.
Phew! Everyone is okay and no Tsunami warnings have been posted. Most of the stores are closed until they can be cleaned up. Someone said the grocery store was a mess. With no food in the condo, we were expecting to do some shopping this morning but we'll see how that goes.
DOUG
Kailua-Kona, Day 1 1/2
I've made it to Kona after a long day of travel! About the only thing that was notable about the travel was lack of leg room and the headphone jack that kept shorting out on the plane. Boring movie anyway. The "Summerhouse"?
The day started with a 3:45 alarm awakening. The thing is I was probably worried about not hearing the alarm that I kept waking up to make sure I hadn't overslept. I hate that. Milwaikee to Chicago to Denver to Kona. All in all it was a decent trip. Arrived in Kona where its been cloudy the last few days with some intense rain storms everyday.
I hadn't even left the airport yet when I was given a call on Ben's phone. One of the athlete's has an issue with her bike. I hate diagnosing things on the phone but it sounds like a threaded insert that clamps the seatpost is pulling out out of its spot. As I've mentioned before, sometimes being a mechanic is less about actually fixing things and more about telling the athlete it will be okay. Don't stress about it. So, even before I had dinner I went ion a mission to find some JB Weld. Hopefully that will cure the problem. I'm worried that the local mechanic she found yesterday buggered it up though.
Dinner was awesome last night. Fish tacos at Huggos On The Rocks. A nice place to stick your feet in the sand and chill after traveling all day. I pretty much went to bed before 9pm Hawaii time. That is why I'm typing this at 5am hawaii time. Actually it is 6am and it is just getting light enough to see the waves outside my condo crashing against the rocks.
Today's agenda is pretty busy for me. I'm worried about having enough time to glue 11 sets of wheels for the race and work on all the bikes to. I need to see if the wheels made it here. If so, then time to get started. Anyone want to have a gluing party? I'll provide soda and pretzels! Oh, and I have to find Kim's bike to fix for her too. Even though I'm in Hawaii it's still work. Hawaii is a nice place and hope to see it some day. Ha, ha!
I think I'll post this update for now without the pictures since my camera is in Keith's room and I don;t want to bother him yet. Check back soon.
The day started with a 3:45 alarm awakening. The thing is I was probably worried about not hearing the alarm that I kept waking up to make sure I hadn't overslept. I hate that. Milwaikee to Chicago to Denver to Kona. All in all it was a decent trip. Arrived in Kona where its been cloudy the last few days with some intense rain storms everyday.
I hadn't even left the airport yet when I was given a call on Ben's phone. One of the athlete's has an issue with her bike. I hate diagnosing things on the phone but it sounds like a threaded insert that clamps the seatpost is pulling out out of its spot. As I've mentioned before, sometimes being a mechanic is less about actually fixing things and more about telling the athlete it will be okay. Don't stress about it. So, even before I had dinner I went ion a mission to find some JB Weld. Hopefully that will cure the problem. I'm worried that the local mechanic she found yesterday buggered it up though.
Dinner was awesome last night. Fish tacos at Huggos On The Rocks. A nice place to stick your feet in the sand and chill after traveling all day. I pretty much went to bed before 9pm Hawaii time. That is why I'm typing this at 5am hawaii time. Actually it is 6am and it is just getting light enough to see the waves outside my condo crashing against the rocks.
Today's agenda is pretty busy for me. I'm worried about having enough time to glue 11 sets of wheels for the race and work on all the bikes to. I need to see if the wheels made it here. If so, then time to get started. Anyone want to have a gluing party? I'll provide soda and pretzels! Oh, and I have to find Kim's bike to fix for her too. Even though I'm in Hawaii it's still work. Hawaii is a nice place and hope to see it some day. Ha, ha!
I think I'll post this update for now without the pictures since my camera is in Keith's room and I don;t want to bother him yet. Check back soon.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Deserts to Weddings
Once again it is time for the bike show in Las Vegas. I’ll try to fill you in on the all the happenings of the last few days. Well, not all. It is Vegas after all (just kidding).
On Sunday before coming to Vegas I did a great mountain bike ride in Tempe, AZ. There are Great trails in South Mountain Park. It was close to a hundred degrees outside and I cooked myself pretty good. At one point during the ride I found a 2 foot by 3 foot piece of shade near a bush to rest in as I was getting kind of dizzy. I consulted the map and figured I should find a way to some pavement and back to the rental house. I still feel sick when I’m in the hot sun for too long so I must have really done myself in a bit. Fortunately I didn’t become a statistic. Because of the mini-epic ride and the fact that I took a Tylenol PM, I slept great that night. I haven’t slept properly in about 4 weeks. Getting a cold and cough and being on the road has screwed up my sleep habits.
On Monday Ben, Keith, and I drove six hours to Las Vegas. I rode the whole way in the rental car while Keith drove through the desert. I never once had to enter the truck. Monday night was some dinner with the boys and a little Vegas sightseeing.
Tuesday dawned and Keith and I saddled up to the breakfast bar at our hotel (The “new” Frontier. Not the best place but okay). Our only itinerary that day was to check out the dirt demo and a group dinner with some friends and sponsors.
Joining us for the dirt demo was Peter Reid (for you tri-geeks you know who he is). In addition I called my former boss and good friend Kenny from Placid Planet Bicycles in Lake Placid, NY, and we all checked out some cool bikes to ride on the awesome trails of Boulder City, NV. The bike industry is rather small so it was good to see some folks from the various bike companies and catch up. In case you are wondering Shane, I did ride a carbon Rush. Sweet bike. I liked a Kona King too. I might consider the King since the Rush is a bit pricey for what I need. Riding bikes with your “Bros” is a great time no matter where you are. Thanks Kenny, Keith, Ben, and Pete.
Tuesday night we had dinner plans at Betistas. This is an Italian restaurant in Vegas in which we had a great time last year so we had reservations for a bunch of us again. It has its own old school Vegas character without even trying to be kitschy. And don't forget Gordy the accordian player! How old is that guy? Gordy is hot tonight! Once again good times, good times!
Finally, Wednesday had arrived, day one of the trade show. The cast of Team Sports characters had all arrived safely and we planned our day during another high calorie breakfast buffet. The crew was Tom Schuler (boss man, jack of all trades related to relations), Jim Williams (director of Colavita/ Cooking Light), Ben Harper (Manager of Timex), Eric Jellum (Mechanic for Targetraining and now Colavita/Sutter Home), Keith Meyer (Timex Event Marketing) and me (Doug Berner, Mechanic, Technical Director, Driver, Colavita/Cooking Light and Timex yadda, yadda, yadda). At breakfast I felt like we had our work cut out for us. After our first appointment at 9:30 with Shimano, everything during the whole day just clicked. All of our sponsors for the various teams want to be on board again and some certain needs of ours were easily figured out with no problems at all. I’ve never seen this process work so smoothly. I was amazed it went so well. I’m am excited for our road teams. We (meaning everyone at Team Sports) has created great working relationships with our sponsors so coming in to the bike show it has been easy to continue those relationships and build upon them. I’m especially excited with our deal with Shimano (some new TT wheels! Yes!) and Blue bicycles (awesome bikes with custom team stuff). Man oh man! Great work to us Team Sports staff. Heck yeah!
Wednesday night was the annual party hosted by Sinclair Imports. In true Vegas style it was held at the Voo Doo Lounge, which is on top of the Rio Casino (51 stories up). Got to see some folks I know. One of my fellow mechanic pals is heading to the men’s T-mobile Team. The team has 6 mechanics. We are used to taking care of 8 bikes by ourselves so I wonder if the job will be easier or not. Besides the typical bike geeks at the party, there were a few celebrities there also. I stood in line for the men’s room with Phil Ligget. Mario Chippolini was interesting to watch since every lady in the place wanted to meet this Italian stallion. Bumped into Magnus Backsted. Literally since it was so crowded. He nodded as if to say sorry.
Earlier in the day Tom introduced me to Greg Lemond. I grew up watching him become the first American to win the Tour de France. To be introduced to Greg Lemond as “one of the best mechanics” was pretty cool. Wow!
Thursday afternoon as I left the bike show, I couldn’t find my way out of the Venetian. Everything is planned to keep a person inside in Vegas. It took a half hour to find my way to the exit I needed. At that point, I was glad to be leaving Vegas for Park City, Utah within the hour.
Park City was our destination for Keith and Brooke’s wedding. Driving into Park City was beautiful. It finally felt like autumn since the mountains are awash in golden color from the leaves changing. There was even a little snow on top of the mountain from a snowfall the week before. Friday evening was a burrito barbecue at Brooke’s Aunt’s house. Got to meet both sides of the family. Saturday was the big day. They picked a spot in Mill Creek Canyon for the ceremony and sit down lunch. It was a lovely wedding enjoyed by all. They even drove away in the TIMEX truck with the horn blaring for full effect.
[ Am I that tall? Me, Keith, and Tom]
[Yes, I'm holding Brooke's flowers. Katie is Brooke's sister and said she wanted photos for her work cubicle]
Even though I wasn’t feeling well, I decided to try a little mountain biking. A good ride but short since I felt like crap. I’m not sure, but I think the cumulative effect of my all my travels has worn me down. I got another cold while in Park City and with the altitude it feels even worse. TIRED, TIRED, TIRED! I need to take care of myself better, mostly in the nutrition department. That is my short-term goal.
Monday morning Ben and I are heading back to Milwaukee. I’m looking forward to getting back and doing some office work before we head to Hawaii. Hopefully I’ll be able to relax a bit too. I find that hard to do sometimes so send some reminders to me since I don’t listen to my own advice.
Cheers
On Sunday before coming to Vegas I did a great mountain bike ride in Tempe, AZ. There are Great trails in South Mountain Park. It was close to a hundred degrees outside and I cooked myself pretty good. At one point during the ride I found a 2 foot by 3 foot piece of shade near a bush to rest in as I was getting kind of dizzy. I consulted the map and figured I should find a way to some pavement and back to the rental house. I still feel sick when I’m in the hot sun for too long so I must have really done myself in a bit. Fortunately I didn’t become a statistic. Because of the mini-epic ride and the fact that I took a Tylenol PM, I slept great that night. I haven’t slept properly in about 4 weeks. Getting a cold and cough and being on the road has screwed up my sleep habits.
On Monday Ben, Keith, and I drove six hours to Las Vegas. I rode the whole way in the rental car while Keith drove through the desert. I never once had to enter the truck. Monday night was some dinner with the boys and a little Vegas sightseeing.
Tuesday dawned and Keith and I saddled up to the breakfast bar at our hotel (The “new” Frontier. Not the best place but okay). Our only itinerary that day was to check out the dirt demo and a group dinner with some friends and sponsors.
Joining us for the dirt demo was Peter Reid (for you tri-geeks you know who he is). In addition I called my former boss and good friend Kenny from Placid Planet Bicycles in Lake Placid, NY, and we all checked out some cool bikes to ride on the awesome trails of Boulder City, NV. The bike industry is rather small so it was good to see some folks from the various bike companies and catch up. In case you are wondering Shane, I did ride a carbon Rush. Sweet bike. I liked a Kona King too. I might consider the King since the Rush is a bit pricey for what I need. Riding bikes with your “Bros” is a great time no matter where you are. Thanks Kenny, Keith, Ben, and Pete.
Tuesday night we had dinner plans at Betistas. This is an Italian restaurant in Vegas in which we had a great time last year so we had reservations for a bunch of us again. It has its own old school Vegas character without even trying to be kitschy. And don't forget Gordy the accordian player! How old is that guy? Gordy is hot tonight! Once again good times, good times!
Finally, Wednesday had arrived, day one of the trade show. The cast of Team Sports characters had all arrived safely and we planned our day during another high calorie breakfast buffet. The crew was Tom Schuler (boss man, jack of all trades related to relations), Jim Williams (director of Colavita/ Cooking Light), Ben Harper (Manager of Timex), Eric Jellum (Mechanic for Targetraining and now Colavita/Sutter Home), Keith Meyer (Timex Event Marketing) and me (Doug Berner, Mechanic, Technical Director, Driver, Colavita/Cooking Light and Timex yadda, yadda, yadda). At breakfast I felt like we had our work cut out for us. After our first appointment at 9:30 with Shimano, everything during the whole day just clicked. All of our sponsors for the various teams want to be on board again and some certain needs of ours were easily figured out with no problems at all. I’ve never seen this process work so smoothly. I was amazed it went so well. I’m am excited for our road teams. We (meaning everyone at Team Sports) has created great working relationships with our sponsors so coming in to the bike show it has been easy to continue those relationships and build upon them. I’m especially excited with our deal with Shimano (some new TT wheels! Yes!) and Blue bicycles (awesome bikes with custom team stuff). Man oh man! Great work to us Team Sports staff. Heck yeah!
Wednesday night was the annual party hosted by Sinclair Imports. In true Vegas style it was held at the Voo Doo Lounge, which is on top of the Rio Casino (51 stories up). Got to see some folks I know. One of my fellow mechanic pals is heading to the men’s T-mobile Team. The team has 6 mechanics. We are used to taking care of 8 bikes by ourselves so I wonder if the job will be easier or not. Besides the typical bike geeks at the party, there were a few celebrities there also. I stood in line for the men’s room with Phil Ligget. Mario Chippolini was interesting to watch since every lady in the place wanted to meet this Italian stallion. Bumped into Magnus Backsted. Literally since it was so crowded. He nodded as if to say sorry.
Earlier in the day Tom introduced me to Greg Lemond. I grew up watching him become the first American to win the Tour de France. To be introduced to Greg Lemond as “one of the best mechanics” was pretty cool. Wow!
Thursday afternoon as I left the bike show, I couldn’t find my way out of the Venetian. Everything is planned to keep a person inside in Vegas. It took a half hour to find my way to the exit I needed. At that point, I was glad to be leaving Vegas for Park City, Utah within the hour.
Park City was our destination for Keith and Brooke’s wedding. Driving into Park City was beautiful. It finally felt like autumn since the mountains are awash in golden color from the leaves changing. There was even a little snow on top of the mountain from a snowfall the week before. Friday evening was a burrito barbecue at Brooke’s Aunt’s house. Got to meet both sides of the family. Saturday was the big day. They picked a spot in Mill Creek Canyon for the ceremony and sit down lunch. It was a lovely wedding enjoyed by all. They even drove away in the TIMEX truck with the horn blaring for full effect.
[ Am I that tall? Me, Keith, and Tom]
[Yes, I'm holding Brooke's flowers. Katie is Brooke's sister and said she wanted photos for her work cubicle]
Even though I wasn’t feeling well, I decided to try a little mountain biking. A good ride but short since I felt like crap. I’m not sure, but I think the cumulative effect of my all my travels has worn me down. I got another cold while in Park City and with the altitude it feels even worse. TIRED, TIRED, TIRED! I need to take care of myself better, mostly in the nutrition department. That is my short-term goal.
Monday morning Ben and I are heading back to Milwaukee. I’m looking forward to getting back and doing some office work before we head to Hawaii. Hopefully I’ll be able to relax a bit too. I find that hard to do sometimes so send some reminders to me since I don’t listen to my own advice.
Cheers
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